Kelly Holloway: The Story Never Told
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Ninja Storm from Kelly's side of the tale. What was her reaction to Dustin running off in the middle of the day? What did she think of the monsters attacking her city and the Power Rangers saving the day? What happens when she finds out?
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: Today I had an epiphany. I had been trying to come up with an idea for a new story for ages, and it finally hit me. If you've read the Kaylee Series, you probably know that I believe Kelly from NS was an underrated character. Well, I've decided to retell the tale of Ninja Storm, but with more focus on her. Basically, making her the main character._

_I hope you all enjoy_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything that appears in this series. Everything belongs to Disney._

_C'mon, if I really owned it, I wouldn't be writing this, would I?_

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly Holloway stepped blinding into a store as her father guided her gently. His hand was placed over her eyes to keep her from seeing. His other hand held onto her to keep her from falling over.

"Almost there, Kel-Bel," he told her, placing her behind the front counter of the store, "On three open your eyes, one..."

"Two, three!" Kelly shouted, speeding up the process. Mr. Holloway chuckled, pulling his hand away slowly. Kelly opened her eyes and gasped as she took in the sight. Her father's old Extreme Sport's store, Storm Chargers, had been completely remodelled. It was no longer an old, run-down shop. It was now packed and stacked with everything one would need to run a business.

Kelly looked around in awe, "You fixed this place up?" she asked her father, "It looks beautiful!"

Mr. Holloway smiled. He tapped the new cash register gently, "This isn't your birthday gift though."

Kelly spun around and frowned, "It's not?"

Mr. Holloway shook his head, "The real gift is hiding inside the register. Open it up."

Kelly did as she was told, moving to the cash register. She remembered her father's code from years ago, before the store had closed down. It was her date of birth, 042480.

The register opened up, and inside there was a legal document. Frowning, Kelly picked it up.

"Open it," her father encourage. Kelly ripped the top open and pulled out a file. She read it over quickly, her eyes widening. By the time she reached the end of the paper, her eyes were nearly popping out of her head.

"You didn't..."

Her father nodded, "I did. I've been working on this project for years."

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked her father, looking up at him, "This place belonged to you and mom."

"After she died, I couldn't run this place. It may be a Sport's Store, but it needs a women's touch. I'm not organized enough to keep all the files straight and remember to order and call for shipment. It was always your mother's job."

Mr. Holloway wrapped his arms around his only child and squeezed her gently, "But you, my little sport's star, you're the perfect blend of myself and your mother. Smart, organized and very headstrong. You're definitely the right person to keep this business going."

Kelly nodded, "I won't let you down."

"Great," Mr. Holloway nodded. He kissed his daughter on the forehead before grabbing his bags, "I've already interviewed a few people. Their résumés and my recommendations are in the backroom."

"Thanks, dad," Kelly smiled, moving to the backroom. Her father pushed the front door opened, ready to leave her daughter to her first day of work. Before going, though, he turned back.

"Happy twenty-first birthday, kiddo," he said with a large grin, "Your mother would be so proud of the woman you've become."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

"Okay, so the cash register's here," Kelly said, leading a young curly haired teenager around the store. Storm Chargers was set to re-open in five minutes, and Kelly only needed to give Waldo Brooks a tour, "And the workshop is right behind the back counter. I'll be setting up the bikes that need repairs. Just do me a favour and don't lose the labels I'll be attaching onto them. We don't want to start giving other people's bikes away."

The sixteen year old nodded, "I can do that."

Kelly looked at him, "Are you sure?"

"My dad taught me everything he knows," he said. "I've been fixing bikes for my family since I was eight. I have a handle on this."

Kelly nodded, "Perfect. So, Waldo, are you ready? I'm opening the doors."

"I'm ready," Waldo nodded, "But can you call me Dustin?"

Kelly smiled, "Of course, Dustin. Are you ready?"

Dustin nodded again, getting behind the counter to start his shift. Kelly flipped the sign on the door to OPEN, and unlocked the door.

Dustin braced himself for the wave of customers, but no one walked in. Kelly grabbed a clipboard and went to the back.

"Call me if you need anything," she said, "I'll be in the back setting up the systems."

"You haven't done that yet?" Dustin frowned, looking down at his register. He poked the screen slightly to see if anything would happen. Kelly glared at him, crossing her hands over her hips and sighed.

"I've set up the systems for the shop, but I need to enter your information into the computer so I can pay you."

"Oh," Dustin nodded.

Just as Kelly was about to leave two customers stepped into the store, causing the bell on top of the door to ring. Kelly turned around and spotted a boy and girl, around Dustin's age. The boy had a darker complexion and stood about an inch taller than Dustin. His hair was fairly dark. Everything about him seemed dark considering the girl beside him was a light skinned blonde.

"Dustin!" the boy laughed, walking over to the counter and high-fiving his friend, "Dude, how's the job."

"Pretty easy so far," Dustin smiled, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Shane needs some equipment," the girl laughed, lifting a red helmet onto the counter, "He got into a little accident."

"Hey, it was intentional," Shane said defensively. The girl looked up, shaking her head. Dustin looked at his friend.

"What were you doing?"

Shane was about to answer, but the girl placed her hand on his chest, "He's still getting used to standing on a plank of wood. Needless to say, he landed on his ass and somehow broke every piece of protective gear he owned."

"You'll need butt pads, dude," Dustin laughed.

Kelly approached her two first customers with a smile, "Can I help you?"

"Shane just needs some real talent," the girl laughed, "And protective gear."

Kelly took a look at the helmet while Shane shot his blonde friend a look. She retaliated by sticking out her tongue. Her eyebrows shot up her forehead at the same time, causing Shane to back down.

"I think we have this stuff around here," Kelly smiled, "I'll show you around. Dustin, watch the door for any other customers."

"On it!" Dustin smiled, saluting his boss. While Kelly to Shane to the Skateboard aisle the girl leaned against the front counter.

"So, how does it feel to work for the woman?" she asked.

"Hey, you're just jealous I'll finally be getting money!" Dustin smirked.

"Am not!"

"Please, Tori. Maybe if you got out of the water a little more often you would have a job too, instead of gills."

Tori growled, "I really ought to kill you where you're standing."

Dustin leaned over the counter and hugged his friend, "Aw, you're so cute when you try to act menacing."

Tori laughed, "I would watch where you put little Dustin," she said, "I just have to reach over this counter and..."

Dustin pulled away, "You wouldn't dare."

"Eight years with you and Shane. I know all your weaknesses."

"What weaknesses?' Shane asked, coming back to the counter with Kelly. He dropped his new helmet and pads onto the counter for Dustin to ring up.

"Nothing," Tori smirked. She grabbed one of Shane's new wrist guards and frowned, "Isn't this out of your price range?"

Shane smiled, "Dude, this place is awesome! Kelly's promising me a discount because I'm the first customer!"

"Nice," Tori nodded.

"And, she says she really recommends this stuff. The pads have more cushion but are still very flexible!"

"And unlike his other wrist guards, he'll actually be able to move his wrists while wearing them," Kelly laughed.

"Didn't your brother buy you that pair?" Tori asked. Shane shrugged.

"We all know Porter isn't really..."

"Porter's a business man," Dustin finished for his friend as he placed Shane's purchases in a bag. Kelly left Dustin to finish the order while she went around back. She looked over the back counter at the group of three. She had a feeling she was going to be seeing a lot of them. Dustin for sure, seeing as he was scheduled to work four days out of seven.

She had a short conversation with Shane about Skateboarding, and realised her was very into it, even though he was still a beginner. She had been around Skateboards her whole life and offered to give him a few pointers if he promised to spread the word about Storm Chargers being back in business.

She hadn't gotten a chance to speak with the girl, Tori, but from what she could see, Tori spent a lot of her time with Shane and Dustin. Kelly remembered what it was like to be sixteen and surrounded by boys. Her passion for extreme sports meant she was usually around a large group of boys, with very little girls. She knew at some point, Tori was going to need to find another girl to hang out with, no matter how much of a tomboy she was now.

It seemed Storm Chargers was going to be more than a job. Kelly was determined to keep it running and make sure it was a safe haven for kids like Shane, Dustin and Tori.

Turning to the empty corner, Kelly had an idea. She glanced over to the green couches sitting uselessly in the storage room, as well as the small TV and smirked.

"Hey, Dustin, would you mind helping me for a minute?" she called. "I finally figured out what I can do with the empty space."


	2. Kelly's Torture Begins

Two years later, in the year 2003, Kelly found herself standing at the finish line of the Motocross track with a timer in her hands. As a racer in yellow jumped over the finish line, she stopped the clock and looked down at it.

"Not bad," she sighed. The yellow racer stopped his bike a few ways away and Kelly moved to him. The racer hopped off his bike and pulled off his helmet.

Now eighteen years old, Dustin was still working at Storm Chargers. Much had changed about him. His hair was still as curly as ever, but he was slightly taller, having his growth spurt at seventeen. He was also in much better shape than before, developing his muscles do to his extensive training in Motocross. He was also Storm Charger's only racer, wearing his store logo with pride.

"Lap times are about two seconds off," Kelly told him. She placed her hands on his handle bars as Dustin gave her yet another excuse.

"Yeah, I know, my bike's bugging on that uphill," Dustin said, pointing to the hill. Kelly looked over at it and frowned sympathetically. Suddenly, Dustin grabbed her wrist and checked her watch.

"What time is it?" he shouted.

"Five after, why?" she answered. Dustin slammed his hand into his forehead and groaned.

"Oh, man! I am so busted!" he said, suddenly taking off, leaving Kelly with the heavy bike. She stumbled slightly under the weight, catching it as it fell towards her.

"Dustin, where are you going?" she called to him. Dustin looked back at her as he ran off, slowing down for only a moment.

"I'll call you later, okay? I got to go!"

Kelly struggled to get the bike upright, and when she finally did she turned her head back to where Dustin had taken off. She sighed loudly, slamming her hands down on the handlebars.

He always did this. As soon as he finished a shift at work or a race, he always took off and left her with the cleaning. Kelly couldn't stand it. It always drove her crazy and she had thought about firing Dustin a few times. However, she could never bring herself to do so.

Dustin was her only employee. If she fired him, she would have to work solo until she found a suitable replacement. One who could help with repairs and work the cash. Dustin may have been unreliable with time, but he was definitely the best employee Kelly could wish for.

At the same time, Kelly could understand Dustin's constant need to run off. He was still only a kid compared to the twenty-three year old entrepreneur. He still needed to learn to balance his time. If Kelly punished her friend for being unable to do so, she wouldn't be helping him at all. She would be teaching him a painful lesson, but that would do nothing to help him get organized.

Instead, she always made sure to give him a good scolding when he came back for the next shift.

Kelly rolled the bike into the back of the Storm Chargers Van and locked it up safely. She hopped out of the back and went to close the door when she realised she hadn't pushed the bike in far enough. Groaning loudly, she jumped back in and unlocked the restraints.

Normally there were two people who would do this job. One would hold the bike upright while the other made sure all the restraints were in place and secure. Kelly was going at this solo. With one hand, she propped up the bike and the other worked at undoing the locks.

When she reached the last lock, Kelly found it to be stuck.

"Mother fucker!" Kelly cursed, turning her body so it could support the bike. With both hands free, she pulled on the lock, finally managing to unclip it. However, it didn't come easily. The lock had held on tight, and Kelly needed to pull hard to get it loose. When she unclipped it, she lost her balance and fell backwards, the bike coming with her.

Kelly propped the bike up again but felt something hurting her hand. Again, groaning loudly, she made sure the bike was locked up (this time properly), before moving to the back of the van. She sat, with her feet hanging out, and looked down at her sore hand.

Just as she expected, her wrist was bleeding. She whimpered as she reached for the first aid kit. With only one hand, she wrapped up her wrist with the gauze, muttering under her breath.

"He better have one hell of an excuse this time."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

The following Day, Kelly was monitoring the store while Dustin was working in the back, fixing up a few parts on his bike. Kelly moved to the back counter and gave him a glare.

All shift she had been giving him looks, but Dustin couldn't understand why. He knew he had ditched her at the track the day before, but she had never been this cold to him when he left.

Suddenly, the ticking of the multiple clocks reached his ears. Dustin checked his watch, then the big alarm clock.

Kelly rolled her eyes and silently counted down the minutes before Dustin was about to take off. She glared at him one more time before glancing over at the couches. Tori had come from the crew room carrying a hot chocolate for herself and Shane. She handed him the red mug, keeping the blue for herself, and got comfortable on the couch. Kelly could hear Shane telling Tori what he needed to learn.

In the past two years, Shane had really grown as a skateboarder. He was no longer boarding as a hobby, but was looking at a career. All he needed was a professional sponsor. Storm Chargers would have had his back, but there was no way it could help him with his career. So far, Kelly was only a "professional" sponsor for Motocross.

Shane was easily one of the better skateboarders in Blue Bay Harbour. He just needed to get a sponsor to believe it.

Tori had also grown. She was still the little tomboy who first walked into the store, but she was definitely more comfortable with her feminine side. Kelly saw her as a little sister, and treated her as such. She showed Tori how to live as a sport girl, but to still hold onto her tough girl routine.

Tori was also Blue Bay Harbour's little fish. She loved being in the water, and had a passion for surfing. Like Dustin, she found her calling when she was young, having learned the sport from her mother when she was only five. Kelly supported her and her surfing, but again, couldn't offer the chance to sponsor Tori like she could Dustin.

Suddenly, Dustin's big, red alarm clock went off, causing the boy to jump. He dropped his tools on the table.

To Kelly's surprise, Tori and Shane hopped off the couch at the sound of the bell. Shane placed his hot chocolate and Tori's on the couch, while Tori ran to the back counter. She leaned over it, calling to Dustin.

"Dustin!"

Dustin ran out of the work room at her call, bolting past Kelly. He pulled his rag off his shoulder and tossed it to Kelly.

"Yo, heads up!" he shouted as the rag landed on her head. Kelly growled, pulling it off.

Tori and Shane were long gone by now, but Dustin was still only at the door. Kelly slammed the rag down on the back counter and called to him.

"Dustin, you're not going to leave me to clean up the shop!"

"Have I ever told you what a cool boss you are?" Dustin tried, holding his hands out. Kelly felt a smile come to her lips as she turned away, blushing slightly. Dustin took this as the OK and took off, "Bye Kelly!"

She couldn't stay mad at him. His compliments proved that he was aware of all the trouble he put her through and appreciated the fact that she had yet to fire him. Kelly glanced down at her wrist and sighed.

"I guess I'll talk to him later," she told herself, getting back to work. She turned to the front counter as a small bell rang.

"Hello! Is anybody working here?" an impatient customer shouted, looking around the store. Kelly rolled her eyes.

"I thought there was," she remarked. Standing behind the counter, she looked up. "Can I help you?"

"Dude, I just wanted someone to ring these up!" the man said, "But customer service here is so sh-"

"I'm sorry, I'm understaffed today."

"Whatever, babe, just ring me up."

Kelly muttered something under her breath as she rang up the customer's order and took his money. This was why she liked when Dustin worked from cash. Customers were less likely to pick on him, because they knew he would be more likely to fit back. Most of her customers were teenage boys or older men who didn't realised that other people had feelings and who thought very little of the women in the world. In fact, they believed women were only trophy prizes.

Every day she had to put up with them, check inventory, finish up any repairs, fill out the paperwork, clean the shop and close it up; while Dustin ran off in the middle of his shift and came back late, using the excuse, _my grandmother fell down the stairs._

Grandparents falling weren't uncommon, but it didn't happen that frequently. Either his grandmother couldn't stand on her own two feet, or he was covering some big secret.

Suddenly, a teenager ran into the store.

"Dudes! There's something in the rock quarry! It's trying to attack the city!"

Frowning, Kelly ran over to the couches and turned on the News. Customers gathered around her to watch. The News Anchor Spoke, while footage of the battle in the Rock Quarry played out.

"Following in the footsteps of Angel Grove, Mariner Bay, Silver Hills and Turtle Cove, Blue Bay Harbour has the threat of monsters looming over it. Only a few short months since the defeat of horned monsters in Turtle cove and the disappearance of the Wild Force Rangers, new monsters are appearing right here in the city, as well as three of these Rangers. A red, yellow and blue team of Power Rangers has arrived to save the day. Though many are both excited and fearful of their appearance, we are all left to wonder: why are these monsters targeting Blue Bay?"

Kelly furrowed her brow, "Power Rangers? In Blue Bay?"

She turned around, spotting Shane's red mug and Tori's blue mug. She looked to the workroom and saw Dustin's yellow rag hanging off the back counter.

She shook her head and laughed, "They've been wearing those colours for a year now," she said to herself, "What was I thinking?"

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Later that evening, Kelly was closing up the shop. The sign was flipped but the door wasn't locked. She was expecting Dustin to come visit like he did every evening after ditching.

Kelly was just changing the gauze on her wrist when the bell over the door rang. She looked up and saw Shane, Tori and Dustin. They looked slightly bruised, but Dustin always held that appearance after leaving abruptly. For a few months, Kelly suspected Dustin was victim of abuse back home, and that the reason he kept running off was because his dad didn't know he had a job and didn't like it when Dustin wasn't home. She had approached Dustin about it before reporting her suspicious to the police. Dustin managed to convince her that he had signed up for martial arts lessons and that he wasn't so good in blocking yet.

Kelly believed him. She had no choice. Tori and Shane backed him up, saying they had the same class. Seeing as they all had the occasional unexplained bruise, Kelly dropped her suspicions.

"Kelly..." Dustin started cautiously as he approached his boss. Kelly looked up at him.

"Yes, Dustin."

"I'm soo sorry about today, dude!" he said. "I had to make sure I wasn't going to be late."

"What the hell kind of appointment is scheduled in the middle of the day?" Kelly frowned, "Dustin, you can't keep doing this."

"I know," Dustin nodded. He looked back at his friends. They nodded as well.

"If you know, then why do you keep doing it?" Kelly asked.

"It's not on purpose," Dustin assured his boss. Kelly crossed her arms.

"You set an alarm."

"Okay, today it was! But..."

"If you use the grandma excuse one more time..."

"It's my classes," Dustin said, "I've been late for the last few lessons and my Sensei said he would kick me out if I was late again. I couldn't afford that!"

Kelly's face softened, "You could have told me that! I would have reworked your schedule so you could do both."

"I'm sorry, Kelly."

Kelly slapped him on the arm with the rag, "Just don't let it happen again, Dustin. Now come around back. We'll talk about new hours."

"Have I ever told you you're the best, Kel?' Dustin smiled, following the red head. He looked back at Tori and Shane, who gave him a thumbs up. However, he knew there was a problem. He couldn't exactly change his schedule to keep himself from running off.

Dustin had a secret. He couldn't tell Kelly about it, because he would be putting her life in danger.

Dustin, Shane and Tori were the Power Rangers. Whenever a monster appeared, they needed to be out in the city to save the day. He was going to try and balance his Ninja Training, his Ranger duties, and his work, but he was positive his evil enemy Lothor, wasn't going to be so kind.

When Kelly and Dustin were gone, Tori nudged Shane.

"We're going to help him come up with a list of good excuses," she said. "Who knows when Lothor's going to send down a monster."

"We'll figure this out," Shane nodded. Tori looked up at him. Immediately Shane shook his head. "We're not telling her."

"It would make life so much easier for both of them!" Tori tried.

Shane pulled Tori closer to the front door, "Look, Tori. Kelly's probably our biggest weakness. If Lothor finds out about her, who knows what he'll do. She's defenceless against him. The only way we can keep her safe is if she doesn't know."

Tori lowered her head and sighed, "I know you're right, but it just seems so wrong. She's done so much for us. She gave Dustin a job and she lets us hang out here! Do you remember what she did for you when you failed your math class?"

"My parents wouldn't be happy if they found out," Shane sighed, "I totally owe her."

"She tutored you all through the summer and paid for summer school!" Tori said. "You know that if you do well academically you'll impress a lot more people and attract more sponsors."

"I know," Shane nodded. "But... I guess I would rather Kelly be angry at us, and safe, then dead. Do you understand?"

Tori nodded, "Of course. I just feel really bad."

Shane hugged the Blue Ranger, "We'll make it up to her as soon as we can, okay?"

"I'm holding you to that."

In the back room, Kelly pulled out her large binder, careful not to irritate her wrist. Dustin finally noticed the bandaging and frowned.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

Kelly gave him a pointed look, "I had to bring your bike home somehow."

Dustin inhaled sharply through his teeth, "Oh, Kelly, I totally didn't mean to bail on you like that!"

"You never do," Kelly said, "Now how about we look at getting you a new schedule."

Dustin couldn't focus on his schedule. He felt terrible. Kelly got hurt because he left her with his large, dangerous bike.

"You should have asked someone for help," Dustin told her.

"Like who?" Kelly asked, "Don't worry about it, Dustin. Once we get you a new schedule, we won't have to worry about this happening again, right?"

Dustin nodded hesitantly, feeling a lump rising in his throat. He swallowed it.

"Y-yeah," he said, "Totally."


	3. When Monsters Attack

So far, Dustin's new schedule was working for Kelly. He wasn't running off on her like he used to, and he was getting all his work done like a normal employee should.

Kelly couldn't help but grin. Inventory had been done, the counters were cleaned, she was finally caught up on repairs and all her orders, and customers yesterday had been satisfied.

Dustin wasn't supposed to be at work today, so Kelly had the store to herself. It wasn't a busy day, so she was happy with walking around and making sure everything was in order.

The front door opened as Shane stormed in on his skateboard. Respecting Kelly's rules of "No wheels on tiles", he kicked his board up and grabbed it. He made his way over to the back counter, jumping on it. He placed the board on his lap and started playing with the wheel.

Kelly knew better than to disturb Shane. He was a very delicate creature. It was best to leave him to sort through his emotions on his own, before trying to jump in and help.

She aligned the surfboards in the window and took her time. When she was done, she strolled over to the front cash. She placed her clipboard down and looked over at Shane.

She tried to strike up a conversation while pretending to work with the cash. She didn't actually need the cash for her current job, but knew that Shane would be more likely to open up if he thought he wasn't her sole focus.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Shane hopped off the counter, setting his board down. Slowly, he moved closer to Kelly.

"Hey, Kelly, you're a good boss, right?"

Kelly nodded, "No one's ever quit on me."

"How do you do it?" Shane asked her. "What's the trick?"

Kelly pulled away from the cash register and turned so she was facing Shane. She smiled.

"There's no trick. You just... work with them. Give them a chance. We're more... like team-mates, you know?"

"Yeah, but how can you be sure things won't get messed up if you don't do them yourself?"

Kelly leaned against the register and smirked, "I trust the people around me; especially my friends."

Shane nodded, ready to analyse what Kelly had just taught him when he heard a voice scream from outside. Kelly seemed to hear it too as she looked over his shoulder at the door.

"What was that?" she asked.

Shane turned around slowly, but straightened out when random objects flew past the store window. Kelly furrowed her brow, while Shane turned to her.

"Stay here," he told her seriously, "I'll check."

Before Kelly could object, Shane left the store. She chased after him until she reached the door. She watched him run down the street and frowned.

"What is wrong with him?" she said to herself. She shut the door, but left it unlocked, just in case he decided to come back. "It's probably a monster!"

She flipped the sign on the door and ran to the back room, figuring it was the safest place to be. She had just walked into the room, when her tools started flying towards the side wall. She shrieked, pulling back before she was struck on the head with anything hard, and glanced over at the objects that were now stuck to the wall.

They seemed to be totally random. Everything from tools, to the storage selves, to cutlery was attracted to that one wall. However, upon further inspection, Kelly noticed the one thing they all had in common. They all contained metal.

"I'm seriously considering moving," Kelly said, stepping back slowly, unaware that right behind her, her clipboard was slowly being pulled over to the far wall.

Kelly now stood before the counter and looked around her shop. Everything with high metal content was making its way towards the wall that was in the same direction where Shane had run off.

Suddenly, she felt something slam against the back of her head. Kelly's head jerked forward as the clipboard flew over it. She fell to her knees and reached to the back of her head.

Her hand shook as she felt something warm and wet. She pulled her hand back and looked down at it.

There was blood on her hand.

Whimpering, Kelly crawled to the counter, keeping low to avoid any more hits. She rested her back against it and waited for Shane to return. While she did, she reached back to the back of her head and pressed her hand against it to see if it was still bleeding.

Looking up, Kelly noticed an X-Acto knife soar over her head and gasped. Thankfully she hadn't been hit by that, or she was going to need an ambulance.

Just when things looked like they couldn't get any worse, the ground began to shake, and just outside her window, Kelly could see a large monster looming over the city. Not too far away from it stood a tall, colourful weapon. Because it was mostly red, blue and yellow, she assumed it belonged to the Rangers.

Hoping the danger would pass soon; Kelly curled up in her spot and waited patiently. She found a rag and placed it between her head and the counter to help stop the bleeding.

After what seemed like hours, everything stuck to the wall fell down. Kelly let out a long breath and got back to her feet. She was a little shaky, but managed to walk to the backroom and found herself a chair.

She sat down on it and rolled over to the desk. She placed her head in her hands as her situation replayed in her head. Screaming from outside, strange flying objects, Shane running off, more flying objects, getting hit in the head with the clipboard...

Blue Bay Harbour wasn't making sense anymore.

Kelly needed to lie down. She spun the chair around and looked at the stairs that led to her loft upstairs. She thought about testing her luck, but knew she shouldn't push it. She had a hard enough time walking a straight, flat line to the backroom. She didn't need to fall down the stairs and add to her wrist and head injuries.

Instead, she let her head fall gently onto the table and closed her eyes. As the day's events replayed again on her eyelids, Kelly let herself succumb to sleep.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

"Kelly? Yo, Kel? Are you in here?" Shane called, pushing through the door to the store. Tori and Dustin were right behind him. "Kelly?"

"This place is a mess!" Dustin frowned, noticing everything piled against the one wall. Tori nodded.

"I guess magnet head attracted more than just people," she said.

"I don't get it," Shane frowned, turning back to his friends, "I left Kelly right here and told her not to leave."

"Maybe she's upstairs," Dustin said, patting his friend on the arm before running past him. Shane and Tori exchanged looks. Tori smiled.

"Don't worry, Shane. I'm sure she's fine."

"I feel bad though," Shane said, "She's the one who really helped me today. Right before that monster attacked I had a talk with her."

"You didn't..."

"No," Shane said, shaking his head, "I asked her about the qualities of a leader... or something like that. Then the monster attacked and I had to check it out. I left her alone."

Tori nodded and was about to open her mouth to say something when her eyes caught sight of a rag on the floor. With the mess in the store, it didn't come to a surprise that the rag was out of place. What did surprise Tori was the red stain.

She bent over, picking it up gently and showing Shane. His face twisted into a look of panic.

"Oh no..."

"Dudes, chill," Dustin laughed, popping out of the backroom, "She's right here."

"What...?" Shane started, but Dustin placed his finger over his lips and hushed the Red Ranger.

"She's sleeping, dude. Don't wake her up."

Tori stepped past Dustin. If the red stain on the rag was in fact Kelly's blood, she wanted to know where her friend was hurt.

Without waking Kelly, she glanced over to see any signs of injury. Aside from her wrist, everything seemed normal.

Tori frowned, scratching the back of her head before an idea hit her. She gently stepped closer to Kelly and started brushing her hair from side to side.

"What are you doing?" Dustin whispered. Tori hushed him, finding what she was looking for on Kelly's head. There was a slight wet spot in her hair that left faint red marks on Tori's fingers. Panic spread through the Blue Ninja as she quickly tried to wake her friend.

"Kelly? Kelly, wake up!"

Kelly stirred, turning to where the noise was coming from. She opened her eyes and saw Tori.

"Tor?"

Tori breathed a huge sigh of relief and hugged her friend, "Thank goodness!"

Kelly lifted her head off the desk and looked around, "What time is it?"

Dustin checked his watch, "Closing time, dude? Do you know how long you've been out?"

"Better question," Tori said, "Do you remember what happened?"

Kelly nodded, "There was a monster attack."

"Did the monster come in here?" Shane asked, "I swear, if he did..."

"No... But everything was attracted to the wall. The clipboard hit me in the back of the head on its way over."

"What about after that?" Tori asked.

"When the monster attack was over, I came in here to rest," Kelly answered, "I didn't think I would be out this long though."

Kelly pushed away from the desk and tried to stand. As soon as she started to wobble, Shane and Dustin were by her side, supporting her. Kelly thanked them.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked as they led her to the couches. "Shane, where did you disappear too?"

Shane rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that, Kel. I... um..."

"Did you go home?" Kelly asked. Shane exchanged a look with Tori and Dustin then nodded.

"Uh, yeah... Sorry I worried you," he said.

Kelly smiled before looking at Dustin and Tori, "You guys are okay, right?'

They both nodded, "We're fine."

Tori sat beside Kelly, "I don't like that cut on your head though. How are you feeling?"

"A little dizzy," Kelly answered honestly, shutting her eyes for just a moment as a headache finally kicked in. "I'll be fine after a little rest. If you guys don't mind, I'll just..."

Kelly was going to get up, but Dustin and Shane held her down. Tori looked at her sympathetically.

"How about you stay at my place for the night?" Tori offered.

"I'll be fine..." Kelly started, but Tori shook her head.

"What if you don't wake up tomorrow?" Tori asked. "We might not realise in time to be able to help you."

Kelly gave in, "Are you sure your parents would be okay with it?"

"They totally owe you," Tori nodded, "How many times did I stay at your place while they went on vacation? I'll go get your stuff."

While Tori went upstairs, Dustin helped Kelly back onto her feet. He stayed by her until she was steady, but kept his hands at the ready to catch her just in case she fell.

"Boy, ever since these monsters appeared, you've been taking quite the beating," Dustin joked, "First the wrist, now this."

Kelly glared at him, "If I remember correctly, it's your fault my wrist is still hurting."

Shane laughed, "Well, Tori will be glad to know there's no brain damage."

Dustin pouted, "Dude, I'm just saying. If I didn't know better, I would say you were one of the Power Rangers."

Kelly glared at Dustin before shaking her head. Shane took advantage of Kelly looking away to punch his friend in the arm. Dustin groaned, turning to the Red Ranger.

"What?" he mouthed.

Shane didn't answer, instead he simply scowled. Dustin finally realised what Shane was getting at.

"Ohh," he breathed.

Tori came back into the front room with Kelly's bag slung over her shoulder, "I've got all your stuff. You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Kelly nodded, stepping away from the two boys. Tori extended her arm, letting Kelly use her for support.

"I have my van. Don't worry, you're not walking all the way back," she said.

Shane and Dustin waited for Kelly and Tori to leave. They cleaned up the shop a little bit, knowing Kelly wasn't going to be in the mood to do so tomorrow.

They picked everything up off the floor before Dustin turned to Shane.

"I guess I'm working tomorrow, dude."

"We owe her that much," Shane nodded.

"Hey, I didn't leave her here alone," Dustin reminded his friend. "You owe her. I'm just being nice."

"Whatever," Shane laughed, tossing the blood-stained rag at Dustin. "You ready to go?"

"Totally."

They made it out the door and locked it before turning to the parking lot. Tori's van was gone. Dustin groaned.

"Oh, dude..."

"She left us!" Shane frowned. "Now how are we going to get back?"

Dustin shrugged, "Sensei always said: 'You have feet, use them and get me my hat'."

Shane forced a laugh, "That was before I mastered my air powers."

"Dude, you knocked his little hat thing off every time you tried to make wind."

"At least I don't get stuck in the dirt," Shane laughed, patting Dustin on the back before taking the lead. Dustin stopped and frowned.

"Not funny, dude!"


	4. The Truth Comes Out Almost

At breakfast, Kelly made her way downstairs and found Tori's mother by the stove. Mrs. Hanson gave a quick nod in the direction of the TV room.

Kelly found Tori sitting on the couch with a plate of pancakes on her lap. On the coffee table there was a plate waiting for Kelly.

"It's still warm," Tori said, squeezing over to give Kelly some room. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Kelly nodded, "But I'm exhausted!"

Tori chuckled, turning down the volume on the TV slightly so it wasn't a distraction. She bit her lower lip as she turned back to Kelly. Though the night, she had to wake the red head up every few hours to make sure Kelly was okay. Obviously the interrupted sleep was taking a strong toll on Kelly.

"Sorry about that," Tori said, "But I didn't want you dying on me."

Kelly glared at her blonde friend before throwing a piece of her pancake. Because of the syrup, the piece stuck to Tori's cheek. Kelly checked the syrup bottle and smiled.

"Good old Canadians never let me down," she laughed.

Tori wiped the piece off her face and chuckled, "Eat your breakfast. When you're finished I can drive you back to the shop."

"Dustin better be there this morning."

Tori took a bite of her bacon and smiled, "Don't worry, he's there. He doesn't have any other plans."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

After Tori dropped her off, Kelly began looking around the store. Dustin had come by early to finish the cleaning and was now running the shop. She was just checking to see if everything was in place. She trusted him, but sometimes he could get distracted, or even a little airheaded.

She had a clipboard in her hands and compared the items with her the plan of the store she had printed out two years ago. Ever since her father gave her the store, she had never once reorganized. She liked everything the way it was: Organised by sport.

The Motocross equipment was towards the back of the store, close to the workshop where Dustin was currently working on a bike. Helmets, protective gear, gloves, suits accessories and more were all arranged in their little aisles to make it easy for people to find.

Skateboard gear and accessories were located right next to it. Surfing tools and boards were placed in front of one of the main windows.

Needless to say, everything had its place. Kelly was just going to make sure Dustin remembered where those places where.

Just as she was about to finish, she noticed a piece of factory tape on the floor. She rolled her eyes, picking it up and bringing it to the garbage. However, the bin was full. Too lazy to take care of it, she decided to go to the back and toss it into the large bin.

She opened the backdoor and tossed the tape away. On the ground, she noticed something blue. She picked it up and saw it was addressed to Tori Hanson.

Finding it strange someone would leave a letter for Tori at the store she took it inside and inspected it. There was no return address.

Kelly walked back to the front of the store, still looking at the strange letter, when she heard Shane's voice from the back. She turned and saw her was sitting on the desk while Dustin worked on the bike. They seemed to be talking about something.

Suddenly, Tori walked in. She walked to the swimwear and checked out a pair blue board shorts, before taking it over to the cash. Dustin heard her coming over and walked to the back desk. As Tori put the shorts down, Dustin leaned forwards.

"Hey, dude," he called to her. Tori spotted Shane in the background and turned around. Dustin leaned in closer, "You know, Shane thinks you're mad at him."

"Wow, I guess that's why he gets the red suit," Tori snapped back, never bothering to look back at Dustin or Shane. Kelly frowned at the comment before shaking it off. After knowing the teenagers for years, she was used to strange comments like that one.

Instead, she turned her attention to Shane. He was looking over at Tori with a somewhat desperate look, as if hoping Dustin could get something out of Tori.

Putting the piece together, Kelly figured it out. It was bound to happen at some point.

"Well, what happened?" Dustin asked his female friend, "I mean, it didn't sound like a big deal to me."

Only Kelly could see Tori's face sour before the girl in blue turned around. Just from her body language, Kelly could tell she was glaring intensely at the two boys.

"You don't get it either," she said, "I'm a girl! Girl!"

"Yeah, I- I know..." Dustin said, standing up straight and backing away. "But you're not a girl, girl..."

"You're like a guy girl!" Shane finished.

Kelly winced. She knew exactly what Tori was going through. She had been in the seventeen year old's position before.

Tori was a tomboy. To be more specific, she was a sporty girl who didn't act much like a girl. However, now that she was getting older, she was becoming a lot more aware of her feminine side and was looking for a little independence from the boys.

As far as Kelly knew, Tori had been best friends with Shane and Dustin since before she could talk. It was only natural that she wanted to spend all her time with the boys, and wanted to talk to the boys about anything. However, she was a girl in almost every sense of the word. There were some things in her life that the boys wouldn't understand (such as suddenly _maturing_ into a woman in the middle of a surf competition and not being prepared in the slightest).

She decided to not only rescue Tori from the boys' inability to calm the situation, but to rescue the boys from Tori's wrath.

"My advice to you both, stop trying to make it better, because it's only getting worse," she said, walking over to the counter. She turned to Tori and handed over the letter in her hand, "This just showed up for you."

Tori started opening it, "That's weird, from where?"

Kelly shrugged, "I don't know. I just found it out back."

Everyone looked over Tori's shoulder as she opened up the form inside the letter. They waited for Tori to read it over.

"What's it say?" Shane asked.

"Girl Sport magazine saw me surfing and want me for a photo shoot," Tori answered, reading over the letter again in disbelief, "An article about Beauties and the Beach."

"Isn't that the one where they have these incredibly gorgeous girls?" Shane asked. Tori turned around slowly.

"Yeah, so?" she bit, glaring at her friend. Dustin grabbed Shane and pulled him away.

"We'll just go back to silent mode," he said.

Dustin and Shane went back to their work as Kelly leaned in closer to Tori.

"So, are you going to do it?"

Tori seemed to hesitate with her answer. She looked down at the letter, then up at Kelly.

"I want to show them that I'm not just some dopey tomboy," she said.

Kelly smirked, "I hope that's a good enough reason."

She pulled away to leave Tori to think. She wanted to tell her what she really thought of her reason to attend the photo shoot, but knew it wouldn't help her young friend in the slightest. If Tori was going to grow up to be her own woman, she needed to make these mistakes on her own.

Kelly placed her clipboard on the front counter. She looked back at where Tori had been standing, and saw that her friend was leaving.

"I'll be back soon!" Tori called, rushing out the door.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

It had now been hours since Tori left, and Kelly was getting a little nervous. She hopped Tori wasn't going to the photo shoot. It wasn't because she didn't want Tori to have this once in a lifetime shot at her dreams, but because Tori didn't seem to want to do it for the right reasons.

Kelly walked down the stairs and found Dustin working on the same bike as before. Shane was leaning over, helping him by handing him the tools he needed.

She leaned over, patting the boys on the back.

"Have you seen Tori?"

Dustin nodded, never taking his eyes off his work, "She went to that photo shoot thing. She should be back soon."

Kelly sighed and went to the front of the store. She spotted Tori walking in and smiled, until she noticed what Tori was wearing.

She groaned as she approached the girl, "Um, Tori... you look..."

"Move out of my way!" Tori growled, shoving Kelly roughly. The red head grabbed Tori's wrist before she got away.

"Whoa, hey!" Kelly called, pulling her friend back, "How about a hello?"

"I said, out of my way!" Tori hissed.

Kelly frowned, "Is it that time of month already?"

Tori ignored her and walked over to Dustin and Shane. Worried something happened at the photo shoot, Kelly followed. She leaned against the wall beside the door, out of sight. She kept her eyes on her customers, but her ears on the conversation going on with Tori, Dustin and Shane.

"Did you just crash into an outlet mall?" Shane asked, obviously after seeing what Tori was wearing. It definitely wasn't flattering.

"I have to get to Ninja Ops right away," Tori stated. Kelly looked around the corner for a moment. What was Ninja Ops?

When she looked around, she saw Dustin and Shane react. Shane grabbed Tori and pulled her further into the work room. Dustin glanced at the store to see if anyone had heard her. Obviously he missed Kelly.

He joined Shane and Tori in the corner. Kelly continued to listen.

"Dude, I can't!" Dustin told her, "I have bikes stacked up, like, out the door!"

"Aw," Kelly whispered, "he does want to work. But he wouldn't have that much if he finished a full shift every once in a while..."

"I really need you guys," Tori said, "I was attacked by Kalzacks!"

Kelly's eyes widened when she heard this. She knew that Kalzacks were the little demon creatures that always accompanied whatever monster was threatening the city. If they hurt Tori...

Kelly was ready to go into the workroom to make sure Tori was okay. She turned the corner but stopped when she saw Shane and Dustin look at Tori with strange, worried looks.

They weren't looks Kelly expected. It seemed like they were looks of _"Not again!"_.

Kelly pulled away again when the three decided to bolt. Dustin ran right past her, almost forgetting he was supposed to be at work all day because of Kelly's head injury.

"Dustin!" Kelly called after her employee. Dustin skidded to a stop, letting the others leave without him. He turned to Kelly.

"Dude, I'm so sorry, but it's an emergency," he said.

"I don't care," Kelly frowned, "Let Shane deal with it."

"I... I can't," Dustin answered, "Please, Kelly. It's important! They need me!"

Kelly shook her head and turned back to look at Dustin, but he was gone. She growled.

"Dustin!" she called, running to the door. She saw him hop into Tori's van with the other two.

This was the last straw. It was one thing if Dustin left work because his grandmother fell down the stairs, or he was needed at home, but it was another thing to leave without a clear explanation as to why.

There was only one customer in the store, and Kelly couldn't care less what he thought about customer service. She was worried about Tori, and her only employee had run off to care for her, without a single explanation to her as to what was going on.

"I'm sorry," she said, grabbing him and pulling him to the door, "We're closing early today."

The customer held in his hands a pair of gloves, "I just want these..."

"Take it!" Kelly said, "It's on the house. Just get out!"

Kelly shoved the customer away and locked the door behind her before taking the Storm Charger Van and following her friends.

She was thankful Tori's surfboard was still in the back of her van. That meant Dustin couldn't see out his rear-view window properly, and couldn't tell it was her following him.

When the van before hers stopped for construction, Kelly noticed that Tori hopped out of the car and marched over to the man holding the stop sign. Roughly, she grabbed the man's shirt and began shaking him and yelling at him. After a few moments of this, the man changed the sign over. Tori stormed back over to the van and hopped back in. After a few seconds, the blue van began to drive. Kelly followed.

Not long after that, the van came to a sudden stop. Kelly rolled her eyes.

"What now..." she groaned. She looked ahead, thinking it was maybe more construction, but was surprised to see something else.

Out in the middle of the road stood Tori, dressed in a blue leather uniform.

As if Kelly wasn't surprised enough, Tori opened the door to her van and hopped out.

Kelly rubbed her eyes and reached for the back of her head. Maybe she hit her head harder than she though. Now she was seeing two Toris.

The Tori in black dropped into a stance, ready to attack, while the Tori in red stood in front of the car. Kelly jumped out of her own car to get a better view of this.

"Anything you can do, I can do better," Kelly heard one of the Toris say as she ducked behind a bush.

"Except pick clothes and... what is with that hair?" the other Tori said. Kelly looked over and saw the Tori in Black had dropped her stance.

"You think you're funny?" the red Tori snapped, "Bring it on, girlfriend!"

The Red Tori grabbed a fistful of her clothes and ripped it off to reveal a uniform identical to the one the other Tori was wearing. Kelly held her head with her hand and shut her eyes.

"I think I better go see the doctor..." she whispered to herself.

Suddenly, the two Toris attacked each other, making Shane and Dustin jump out of the van.

"We've got to help her," Shane said, stepping forward, but Dustin grabbed him.

"Wait, wait!" Dustin called, pulling him back, "Which her?"

Kelly saw them running to the fight, probably figuring it was best to get involved somehow. Suddenly, a monster jumped from out of nowhere, stopping Shane and Dustin in their paths and keeping them from reaching Tori and Tori.

"Tori's busy, I heard you say! So the Copybot's come to brighten your day!"

Kelly couldn't believe what happened next. Shane and Dustin raised their hands in the air and brought them down to the rather large bracelets they had on their wrists. Suddenly, a red and yellow suit materialized around them.

The Red and Yellow Rangers attacked the Copybot, leaving Kelly in a state of shock.

Her head started pounding instantly from all the shock. Kelly could feel her heart beating faster and faster as panic began to spread through her veins. She was feeling overwhelmed by everything going on, and the injury on the back of her head wasn't helping in the slightest.

Kelly looked up, thinking she would see a fight, but instead, Tori, Shane and Dustin were gone. The van was still there, so they couldn't have gone far.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly walked back into her store and found everything was normal. Shane was in the back, working with Dustin on a bike, and customers were back in the store. It was like nothing happened.

When a customer walked into the store though, the two boys looked up.

Shane patted Dustin and subtly pointed, "Dude, look!"

Dustin nodded, "Are you sure that's him, dude?"

"Yeah! It's totally him!"

The two boys saw Kelly and ran over to her, while the customer in question went over to the surfboards. When the boys pulled Kelly aside, they pointed to the customer.

"Yo, Kel, remember that problem Tori was having before?" they asked her.

"Which one?" Kelly asked.

"With the whole, guy-girl thing," Dustin said. Kelly nodded.

"I remember."

"Well, that's the guy that started this whole thing!" Shane smirked. "He was totally hitting on Tori and I talked him out of it."

"Well," Kelly smirked. She saw Tori walking into the store and pulled Dustin back. She winked at Shane quickly.

When Tori walked by Shane, he smirked at her. Tori frowned.

"What?" she asked, "What are you looking at?"

Shane smiled, glancing over at Kelly, who motioned for Shane to apologize for his behaviour earlier. Kelly whispered her plan into Dustin's ear and pointed to Tori. Dustin nodded, moving to his friend.

Tori seemed to blush at a comment Shane made and she started playing with her hands nervously when Dustin approached her.

"Um, Tori, there's a customer over there who needs help with a surfboard," Dustin said, grabbing Tori's shoulders and pushing her towards the boards, "can you do me a favour and talk to him?"

Tori looked at the guy, then back at Dustin.

"You do realise I don't actually work here," Tori said. Dustin nodded, turning Tori around once again.

"Yeah, okay, dude, just go talk to the guy!" he said, giving her a push in his direction. Tori walked over to him, rolling her eyes.

She approached the customer, "Can I help you?"

He turned around and smiled. Tori got a good look at him before turning around to her friends. Kelly, Shane and Dustin grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

Tori turned back around and introduced herself. Kelly smiled. She was happy for her friend. Tori was slowly growing up. Dill was just the start.

Dustin tapped Kelly on the shoulder, "So, where were you? We got back and the shop was closed."

Kelly frowned as she tried to think of an answer. She couldn't even tell if her answer was going to be true or not. She had followed Dustin and the others when they left, but everything after that seemed so... surreal. Tori's strange behaviour, seeing double, Shane and Dustin turning into the Power Rangers...

"There was a monster attack..." Kelly said, looking up.

"Yeah," Dustin nodded, "A pretty intense one. There was a giant monster and that big Megaz... Mega super weapon thing."

Kelly frowned again, "I... I don't remember that."

"You don't?" Shane asked, "Dude, everyone in the city could see how awesome that fight was! Those Power Rangers kicked ass! Especially that Red one."

"There... there was?" Kelly asked. Why couldn't she remember this? She had been right there, right behind the Rangers! If there was a huge monster fight, she would have known about it... right?

She tried to think back.

"Oh, c'mon, dude!" Dustin laughed, "You're telling me you somehow missed the fight of the century?"

Kelly wasn't feeling right. There was obviously something she was missing. She knew she was going to have to come clean about her sneaking around.

"I've been having quite the day," she said. "After you three ran out, I followed you."

Kelly failed to notice Shane and Dustin giving each other worried looks. She continued with her story.

"We reached this place... it was... it was..." Kelly paused, trying to think of where they had stopped. She remembered buildings and a fountain, but couldn't recall the street name.

Dustin and Shane both noticed something was wrong with the older girl. Shane placed his hand on her back gently.

"Doesn't matter," Shane said, "Did you, uh... see anything?"

Kelly nodded, "I saw you turn into the Power Rangers."

Dustin and Shane began to panic. They needed to think quickly. If Kelly found out it could mean trouble for everyone.

They didn't want to have to play this card. Not on Kelly.

Shane gently used his hand to push Kelly to the side causing her to lose balance. Dustin reacted quickly by catch her and steadying her. Shane nodded, and Dustin understood the plan.

"Whoa, hey, are you okay?" Dustin asked his boss. "You don't look so good, Kel."

"I..." Kelly frowned.

"Yo, Tor!" Shane called, waving his friend over. Tori turned and immediately noticed something wasn't right. She said a quick goodbye to Dill and ran over to Kelly and the boys.

Dustin brought Kelly to the couches while Shane explained.

"I think her head injuries getting to her," Shane said, "She's been seeing things."

Tori frowned, "Seeing things?"

"Dude, she thought Shane and I were the Power Rangers!" Dustin laughed, holding Kelly upright while the red head tried to focus.

Tori realised what they were doing. Though she didn't like it, she knew she had to play along.

She knelt down before Kelly, "How about I take you back to my place again? Maybe a little rest will help."

"I swear," Kelly frowned, "I saw it! They transformed."

"She must have been hallucinating then passed out," Dustin explained as Tori helped Kelly to her feet. "She doesn't remember the big monster fight all though the city."

"Really?" Tori frowned, a little concerned about this. She was sure Kelly had seen Dustin and Shane morphing, but knew they had to convince her otherwise to keep their identities secret. But for Kelly to not remember something that happened...

"And there were two of you," Kelly said.

Tori laughed nervously, "Okay, now that's crazy talk? If there were two of me, those guys would be dead. And really, Shane and Dustin as Power Rangers? Those two couldn't keep a guinea pig alive, never mind protect an entire city."

As Tori led Kelly away, Shane turned to Dustin.

"Dude, Sensei is still alive right?"

"Yeah... of course," Dustin nodded, "Cam's looking out for him... I think."

Shane let out a breath of relief before glaring at Tori's retreating figure, "She's got to stop with these secret insults dude."

Dustin looked up at Shane, "Do you think Kelly's okay, man? I mean, to miss a Megazord fight..."

"I don't know," Shane shrugged, "But she'll be with Tori and her mom. She's in good hands. And she has us looking out for her. I'm sure it was just the shock of seeing us as the awesome Power Rangers!"

Dustin laughed, "You're probably right, dude."

"C'mon, I guess you're closing the shop again tonight. You better get to work."

"Man, why am I always the one working?" Dustin groaned.

"Because you're the one on the roster," Shane laughed, handing Dustin a mop. "I'll be on the couch!"


	5. Dustin's New Friends

After explaining to her mother why Kelly was staying overnight again, Tori had been forced to take Kelly to the doctor's. It wasn't that Tori didn't want to do so, but she was still feeling sore from her battle against herself beforehand.

The two girls walked back inside the Hanson home after the appointment. Tori led Kelly to the couch before sitting beside her.

"No more hurting yourself," she chuckled. Kelly nodded.

"I don't plan on it."

Tori patted Kelly on the tight and smiled, "No more going off on your own, okay?" she said. "Wouldn't want that head injury to start acting up again."

Tori got up to leave but stopped. She turned around.

"Kel... do you know what happened?" she asked. "I mean, it was a pretty intense battle and if you were out on the streets, you would have noticed it."

Kelly shrugged, "I can't remember," she said. "But... I'll be fine."

"You better," Tori nodded. "Need help to your bed?"

"No," Kelly said, shaking her head only to regret it a moment later, "I think I'll just sleep here. It's comfortable."

Tori laughed, "Dad said the same thing. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Because she was so persistent, Kelly was back at the track the following afternoon, clocking Dustin as he sped around the track on his bike, easily holding the led against the other racers. As Dustin raced by her, he quickly glanced over to make sure she was still standing. When Tori had left them alone, she had threatened to brutally murder Dustin if something happened to Kelly on his watch.

After knowing Tori for years, Dustin knew she would follow through with the threat.

Satisfied to see Kelly was holding strong, he turned his focus back to the race, only to see two new racers were hot on his trail and quickly gaining speed. Over one of the jumps, Dustin began to fall behind as the two racers pulled far ahead.

Crossing the finish line third, Dustin pulled over beside the Storm Charger truck. He pulled off his helmet and frowned.

"Man, have you ever seen those guys before?" he asked Kelly. She looked over at them and shrugged.

"They ride like Factory pros," she said. "I would have remembered."

She handed Dustin his water bottle. He took a long sip before turning to Kelly.

"Man, I'm just glad they don't race 125s," he said while getting off his bike. Kelly reached into the van to get her own bottle as Dustin walked over to the boys. As she took a drink, she watched Dustin interacting with them.

After a few moments, the two new riders walked away, and Dustin went back to Kelly. He tapped her shoulder.

"I'll drive you back to the store," he said, checking his watch, "I have somewhere to be in like... now."

Kelly rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'm going to buy you a day-to-day planner one of these days," she said. She hopped into the passenger seat.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

A few days later, Dustin was in the store, working (much to Kelly's surprise). He was busy helping out the two riders from the track while Kelly opened up some boxes to restock the shelves. Her head was still pounding, but the doctor said it would still be a while before she felt fully recovered.

Shane and Tori walked out from the backroom and Dustin spotted them.

"Hey, guys!" he called, waving them over, "You finally get to meet!"

The two boys turned around as the group of five met up. Kelly looked up at them and smiled, before going back to work.

Dustin started the introductions, "Shane, Tori, Hunter, Blake," he said, pointing to each of his friends in order.

"Dustin's told us a lot about you," the boy in crimson, Hunter, said, looking at both Shane and Tori. The smaller boy, Blake, kept his eyes on Tori as he spoke.

"But not everything."

The room suddenly grew awkward as Tori blushed. Shane desperately wanted to tell the small boy to back off, but after the fiasco with Dill, figured it was probably best to keep his mouth shut. Dustin decided to look away for a brief moment and Hunter turned to his brother and frowned.

Shane decided to break the silence, "Hey, uh, Dustin? You got a minute?"

Dustin nodded, "Yeah."

The two boys walked away from the group, leaving Tori to talk with the boys. They moved in closer to Kelly, forgetting she was beside them because she was kneeling down, behind a shelf.

"Hey, dude, you were supposed to meet us back at Ninja Ops," Shane said.

"Yeah, I know, but these guys showed up and we just started checking out bikes and I just got spaced," Dustin explained.

"Sensei's not happy," Shane frowned, "He's doing that thing with his nose again."

Dustin groaned loudly before grabbing Tori and pulling her out with him, obviously breaking up a conversation she was having with the boys.

"C'mon, Tori, I got to go! Uh, see you guys!" he called to the boys.

"Catch you later, Tori!" Blake called after her, waving goodbye.

Shane followed his friends but stopped at the door, realising he had forgotten something. He turned around to grab it, but overheard a conversation between Blake and Hunter.

"Boy, that Tori is _fine_!" Blake said.

"Yeah," Hunter nodded in agreement, "Question is: why does she hang out with a goof like Dustin?"

Blake shrugged, "Who knows. Maybe she likes doing charity work."

The two boys laughed and Shane walked away, obviously upset they were bagging on his best friend.

Kelly however, decided to confront them. She walked over to them and frowned.

"I thought you and Dustin were friends," she said. Hunter laughed.

"C'mon, you know how he is."

"Yeah," Kelly nodded, "He's a great guy. Sure he's a little... Dustin-y, but he's got a big heart."

"Whatever," Blake scoffed. Kelly rolled her eyes.

"Treat him like a friend, or don't be his friend," she said. "Just don't lead him on."

"Fine," Hunter frowned, throwing his hands up slightly, "We won't."

"Good," Kelly nodded before zipping up both sides of Hunter's shirt. He had left them open; leaving the middle to hang and making it look like he didn't how to dress himself. "By the way, next time you call someone a goof, make sure you don't look like one yourself."

She turned off in a huff, leaving them alone so she could go to the computer to look up Ninja Ops.

This was the second time she heard her friends mention that place, and she had no idea what it was. However, when Shane mentioned Sensei, she figured it was the name of the dojo they attended.

As for the nose twitching thing, she decided to ignore that. Tori bit her lower lip when she was nervous; Shane got a twitch in his right eye when he was angry. Maybe their Sensei did a strange nose thing when he was frustrated. It happened.

After searching endlessly for hours, she came up with three results... for ducks and birds nesting habits.

There wasn't a single thing on Ninja Ops. Apparently it didn't exist. Not as a place, not as a slang, nothing.

Kelly felt her head beginning to hurt and she groaned loudly. Looking up from the computer, she noticed the store was empty. Being a Sunday night, people had better places to be and weren't going to be out shopping past five.

She got up and walked to the door, flipping the sign over and locking the door. Suddenly, Blake and Hunter ran over, almost running into the glass.

"We need to talk to you!" they said.

Kelly rolled her eyes, "If you can't tell..."

"Look," Hunter said, "We thought about what happened earlier and we're really sorry."

Kelly frowned, "Really sorry about what?"

"Calling Dustin a goof."

Blake nodded, "We're new in town and..."

"That's still not an excuse," Kelly said. "Dustin was just trying to be your friend."

Blake pointed to the door, silently asking for Kelly to unlock it. She sighed, twisting the lock and letting them in.

"You have five minutes," Kelly said. "Mrs. Hanson is going to call soon, and if she does and you aren't gone..."

"We just want you to know, we're going to try harder to make friends," Hunter nodded. "It's never been easy for us. We've always been on our own."

"Look guys, that's very sad and all, but it doesn't explain why you're treating Dustin like dirt."

"We won't anymore, we promise," Blake nodded. "He really is a great guy."

Kelly smiled, "Good."

She walked back to the front desk, about to shut down her computer when hunter walked up behind her. He looked over her shoulder.

"Ninja Ops?" he asked, reading the words in the search engine.

"Do you know what it is?" Kelly asked hopefully, "The others keep mentioning it, but I have no idea what is it."

"Dustin's told us about it," Blake nodded, "He says he does some training there. We were actually going to check it out."

"Where is it?" Kelly frowned. The two boys shrugged.

"We don't know," they said. "We were hoping Dustin did but we couldn't find him. We thought we would find him here."

"He left hours ago," Kelly told them. "Normally he's at the track."

"He wasn't there when we checked," Blake frowned. "Do you have his number?"

Kelly nodded, before looking down at her computer, "It's saved in... dammit."

"What?"

"I just shut the computer down."

Kelly hit the keys and groaned, "Hold on, I'll start it up..."

"No, that's okay," Hunter said, "Tori and Shane should know. Don't they go there?"

Kelly nodded, "I guess. I have their numbers written down."

"Think we can have them?" Blake asked.

Kelly grabbed a book from inside her desk and copied down the two phone numbers on different papers. She handed them over to the boys when she was done.

"This is Tori's number," she said, handing it to Blake, "and this is Shane's."

Hunter pulled away, refusing the other paper, "No offense Kelly, but Shane didn't seem like the friendliest guy when we met him."

"Yeah, he gave us this look," Blake nodded.

"You were hitting on one of his best friends," Kelly said, "You're lucky all you got was the look."

"Well, maybe we'll try Tori first," Blake suggested. "If she doesn't have an answer for us, we'll try Shane."

"Are you sure you don't want his number now?" Kelly said. Both boys shook their heads.

"No, it's totally cool."

Kelly nodded slowly, "I see..."

"See what?" the boys frowned.

"You just wanted Tori's number. You don't actually want to go to whatever that place is."

Blake let out a loud sigh, "Okay, you got us..."

Hunter frowned, "She does?"

Blake elbowed him in the ribs, "Yes, she does. I really liked Tori and... As you probably know, we're a little... socially challenged."

"What?" Hunter asked.

"Some more than others," Blake said, glaring up at his brother. Hunter shook his head, obviously confused.

"Whatever," Kelly frowned. "Doesn't this kill the whole, asking out on a date thing?"

Blake shrugged, "Well, we do want to check out the dojo. We used to attend one back in our old town, and the Sensei there recommended this one. I was hoping Tori could show me where it is, and as a thank you I... take her out."

Hunter chuckled slightly, but Blake elbowed him again.

Kelly frowned, "Leave."

"What?" the two brothers asked, afraid they had somehow scared Kelly and messed up their chance at finding Ninja Ops.

"It's been way more than five minutes," Kelly said, "Leave. You two are kind of weird anyways."

"Ouch," Hunter said, patting his adoptive brother on the back and leading him to the door, "Maybe you should take your own advice about leading people on."

"I didn't pretend to like you," Kelly smirked. Hunter smirked back.

"C'mon, you know we're awesome."

Kelly shook her head, "As if."

The phone started ringing and she left to answer it. Hunter and Blake unlocked the door, leaving slowly.

"Hello, Mrs. Hanson? Yes, I'm feeling fine," Kelly said, a little too loudly to send her message to the boys, "No, I'm just getting rid of the last few customers then I'll be off to bed."

Kelly waved the boys away. They nodded and left.


	6. The Hunter

Kelly walked into work in the morning, expecting the usual. Dustin was supposed to open up so she could get rest. He was also supposed to be watching the store as the customers browsed for their selective items.

However, when she walked in, all she saw were clothes, tools, spare parts and more flying through the air in the work room. She walked over to the back counter and frowned.

"What is this? Hello! Dustin!" she called.

Dustin jumped up, "Oh, hey."

Kelly frowned, "You understand the concept of cleaning, don't you? Things go _onto_ the shelves."

"You know, I lost my backpack and I can't even think of anything else until I've found it," Dustin explained, leaving the workroom to search the store itself.

"You'll find it," Kelly nodded, getting to the front counter. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask, have you seen Blake or Hunter?"

"They kinda blew me off last week and I haven't seen them since," Dustin said, keeping his search going.

"Have you got a cell number?" Kelly asked. She had given Blake and Hunter Tori's house number the week before, but never thought to ask them for their number in return. Dustin nodded, reaching for a pen as he wrote their number on a paper.

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"I got the money I need for the regionals next week. I've got to put a 250 team together like... yesterday."

"Alright," Dustin said, handing her the paper with the numbers before stopping in his tracks and turning around.

"Hey, well, uh, you know... what about me?" he asked hesitantly.

"I've only got a budget for 250s, Dustin," Kelly said awkwardly, "And those guys have got the experience on big bikes. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean, if I were putting a team together I would want them too," Dustin nodded, before snapping his fingers, "Um, you know, I got to go..."

Kelly watched him dart out of the store in search for his bag. She felt terrible for not choosing him. For two years now she had been his coach, and finally, when given the chance to let her little rider shine, she chose to keep him in the shadows, putting his dreams on hold for two other riders. One, who was hitting on her only girlfriend, and the other, who she really just didn't like.

Suddenly, everyone gathered around the TV. Kelly frowned, wondering what could have caught everyone's attention so quickly. She pushed her way to the front of the crowd and glanced at the screen.

From a helicopter, the news of an attack on the city was being shown live. However, instead of the usual monster, the Rangers were fighting...

"More Rangers?" Kelly frowned.

"Dude, there's never been a navy or crimson before!" one of the customers shouted.

The two new Rangers were all over the three older ones, taking them out with ease. Kelly winced as the Rangers fell to the ground in pain. The two other Rangers stood before them laughing.

After a moment, they turned away.

Kelly turned off the TV, and was met with a loud cry of protest from a few customers. Sighing, she turned it back on, but changed it back to the Extreme Sports' channels. As if hypnotized, the customers settled down and kept their eyes glued to the screen as a replay of Hunter and Blake's race from the day before played.

Kelly walked over to the counter and began folding some jerseys and shirts.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

After a few hours, the phone rang. Kelly picked it up as quickly as she could.

"Thank you for calling Storm Chargers, how can I help you?"

"_Kelly, you have to get out here!"_

"Blake?" Kelly frowned. "Is that you?"

"_There's been an attack!"_ Blake said.

"No shit," Kelly said, "I'm fully aware... this time."

"_Meet us outside the track!"_ Blake told her before hanging up. Kelly couldn't understand why they were calling her, but didn't want to risk the consequences. She grabbed her keys and closed up the store before hopping into the van.

She met the Bradley brothers just outside the Tracks. She got out of her van and walked over to them.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked. "We're under attack."

"We think they need help!" Blake said, turning back to run down the ravine. Hunter grabbed Kelly's hand, pulling her with him.

"C'mon!" he shouted.

The three hopped the fence and ran down the path, almost reaching the site of the Megazord wreckage. Just before Kelly could see it, she saw her friends struggling to make it up the hill.

"Over there!" Blake shouted, running to Tori's side to help her up. "We were riding when we saw the smoke. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Tori nodded.

"What happened?" Hunter asked.

"I was listening in the car on the way here," Kelly stated.

"What, does that sort of thing happen often around here?" Blake asked Tori.

Shane spoke up, "You never wondered why housing was so cheap?"

"We need to call somebody... the police, the FBI... the CIA!"

"No, Kelly, we're fine," Tori said, "Thanks."

She looked back at Shane and Dustin for a moment, making sure they were okay. They nodded to her.

Blake looked back at Hunter. He nodded, wearing a smirk on his face.

Kelly touched Dustin's arm, "Do you guys want a ride home?"

"No... We're okay," Dustin said.

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked, "I don't mind. The store's already closed."

Shane nodded, "We have to be somewhere anyways," he told her. "Just go home. Who knows when those aliens will attack again?"

"Once again, Hunter smirked. Blake subtly elbowed him.

Kelly turned to the brothers and frowned. Immediately they recomposed themselves.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

After Mrs. Hanson _somehow_ heard about her daughter winding up in the middle of an alien attack, she refused to let Tori go anywhere on her own. However, because she wasn't a huge fan of the beach (or sand, or water), she had phoned Kelly.

This way, both girls could keep an eye on each other.

Kelly was in Tori's van, putting on some sunscreen (because it was impossible for redheads not to burn), and Tori was walking back over after getting changed. On her way, she passed by Blake. She failed to notice him as she walked by.

But Blake noticed her.

"What, no hello?" he called. Tori turned around slowly.

Over in the van, Kelly heard Blake and looked up.

"Sorry, my mind's somewhere else," Tori said, facing Blake and Hunter.

"Yeah, rough day," Blake nodded.

"Yeah," Tori said.

There was a small silence, making it awkward for everyone. Blake didn't know what to say next, Tori was wondering if she should say something more, Hunter didn't even want to be around while his brother flirted shamelessly with a girl and Kelly was spying.

Tori decided to break it. She lifted her head and smiled, "Thanks again for helping me out there."

"Ah, yeah, hey... listen, don't mention it," Blake smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. Hunter looked elsewhere. Obviously he would rather be somewhere else. "Anytime."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tori nodded.

"Cool," Blake breathed.

"I'll catch you later," Tori said.

"Yeah, sure thing," Blake nodded,

Tori turned to head back to the van, while Hunter patted his brother on the shoulder.

"Wow, smooth. You'll have to show me your moves sometime."

When Tori reached the van she saw Kelly had a smirk on her face.

"I can tell that was extremely awkward."

"Very," Tori nodded while biting her lower lip. Kelly smirked.

"You like him."

"No I don't!" Tori protested, but another look from Kelly made her sigh. "Maybe a little..."

"Your secret's safe with me," Kelly smiled. "So you wanna go in the water before everyone else starts hogging the good waves."

Tori shook her head, "Not really... actually. Maybe we can just go back to the store."

Kelly nodded, "No problem. I've got the meet Hunter and Blake there soon anyways. They don't know I'm here."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Just as she had said, Blake and Hunter walked into Storm Chargers for a little meeting with Kelly. They found her by the clothes and grabbed her attention.

Kelly smiled at their arrival and pulled out a form, "Hey, just fill these out before the race and we're good to go. Oh and make sure your parents sign them..."

"We don't live with our parents," Hunter snapped, making Kelly take a step back.

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"Hey, don't sweat it," Blake smiled. "We'll get the forms back to you tomorrow."

"Great," Kelly nodded. "I'll see you out there then."

She looked over at Hunter this time. He smiled.

"Cool."

As he and Blake stepped away, he gave Kelly a smirk. Suddenly, the smile dropped from her face. She glared at him, before they parted.

Something about Hunter just didn't feel right to her.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Later that afternoon, Kelly was taking her lunch break on the couches. The store was closed for the meantime so she could rest.

Dustin and Shane were going to be out for the rest of the day, and Tori had decided to go surfing after all. Though Kelly wasn't supposed to leave her alone by Mrs. Hanson's orders, Kelly had given Tori a cell phone so that even if they were apart, they could communicate. After all, it wasn't like Tori had any brain damage like Kelly did. Mrs. Hanson was just being slightly paranoid.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kelly looked over and saw Hunter. She groaned, making her way over.

"What?" she asked, opening the door slightly.

"Blake's getting a hold of Tori, finally," Hunter said, "She's going to show him where the Ninja Ops is. I thought you may want to come check it out."

Kelly frowned, "Really."

Hunter crossed his arms, "You still don't like me."

"No," Kelly said. "After the way you treated Dustin, why should I like you."

"You like Blake," Hunter shrugged. Kelly raised her eyebrows.

"We both know that I have to like Blake," Kelly said, "Just like you can't _like_ Tori."

"So we have something in common," Hunter said. "We're both willing to put our own feelings aside for out little siblings."

Kelly frowned, "What do you mean?"

"C'mon. I see the way you talk to those guys. You treat them like they're your kid brothers and sister."

"How do you want me to treat them?" Kelly asked.

Hunter shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just saying..."

"Well, tell it to someone who cares," Kelly said, getting ready to slam the door, but Hunter put his foot in the way.

"You like me," he said. Kelly shook her head.

"Why would you think that?" she asked.

"Please. You hate my guts even after we got over that whole me bagging on Dustin thing."

"I heard you blew him off," Kelly said.

"Yes, and if I remember correctly, you told me not to lead him on. I'm just doing what you told me to do."

"So, you really don't like him?"

"He's okay..."

Suddenly, Hunter's watch let out a loud beep which he quickly covered with his right hand and looked over at Kelly.

"Sorry... it goes off at the hour."

Kelly glanced over her shoulder to check the time.

"It's quarter ..."

Kelly was interrupted mid-sentence by her vision fading to black as something solid connected with the back of her head.


	7. Betrayed

When Kelly woke up, she could feel herself bobbing up and down. She opened her eyes slowly, reaching down to her head.

Down...?

Kelly opened her eyes and saw the ground moving under someone's feet. Panic took over and she started squirming.

"Whoa, bro!" someone called, touching Kelly's back. "She's up."

"Good," the person carrying her said, "My shoulder's getting tired."

"I thought you said you could handle her."

"This walk is a lot longer than I thought."

Kelly was suddenly dropped on the ground. She crawled over to a tree and leaned against it as her vision cleared. She looked up and saw Hunter and Blake.

Hunter grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, "C'mon. We have to keep walking."

"What's going on?" Kelly asked, "Last thing I remember..."

Hunter pushed Kelly forward, "Just walk. Don't talk."

Kelly frowned as she looked at the two brothers, before she saw something in Blake's hand. It was a white sphere. Occasionally there would be a spark coming from it, but never once did Blake wince in pain as it sparked.

"What's that?" she asked.

Hunter shoved her forward again, "I said, shut up."

"You should be afraid, Thunder Rangers," the orb spoke. "There are spirits here of the darkest warriors the world has ever known."

"Quiet!" Hunter shouted to the orb, "We know what we're doing."

"Have you not learned that taking revenge on one that has caused you no harm makes you ask guilty as the one who hurt you to begin with?"

Hunter grabbed the orb from Blake and stopped in his path. Blake grabbed onto Kelly to keep her from running as he stopped as well.

Hunter glared down at the orb, "You destroyed our parents; parents who adopted us and gave us a life. You deserve everything that's coming to you."

Kelly couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Why where Blake and Hunter taking her out into this forest? Why was the freaky white ball talking? What were Thunder Rangers?

Blake pulled on Kelly's arm as they continued to walk. As they reached a bit of a clearing, Blake spoke.

"How much further?" he asked.

"Almost there," Hunter assured his little brother.

"Good," Blake nodded.

Suddenly, there was a noise. Blake and Hunter turned around just as an army of grey ghoul creatures materialized before them.

Blake let go of Kelly while Hunter put down the talking orb. They both raised their arms slightly so they were hovering in front of their chests. Kelly thought this was odd behaviour, until she heard them cry: "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

Her jaw dropped as they morphed into the same Rangers who had been attacking the red, blue and yellow ones for the past week.

Thinking it was just her head injury acting up, Kelly tried shaking her head. She looked back up and focused, but saw the two Rangers fighting the ghouls.

She turned to run, but a ghoul grabbed her, while another grabbed the little orb. The Thunder Rangers went to help her, not wanting to lose their prisoners, but the ghouls grabbed them, holding them in place.

Suddenly, the ghouls were blasted away as the Blue Bay Harbour Rangers appeared on their bikes. When they stopped and looked around, it was obvious they were confused.

"Whoa, who do we fight?" the yellow one cried out.

"Anyone not wearing a primary colour?" the red one stated.

"Good plan," blue agreed before she was pushed off her bike by one of the ghouls and just like that, the fight was on.

Crimson made his way over to Kelly and the orb, ripping the ghoul off the red head and kicking the ghoul holding the orb in the stomach. He grabbed both Kelly and the orb, standing before them protectively while the others dealt with the monsters.

Suddenly, from behind, the yellow Ranger rode up on his bike, grabbing the orb and Kelly. He skidded to a stop a little ways away.

"I'll take that," he smiled, keeping one arm wrapped around Kelly as she held the orb. He looked to her through the visor. "You okay?"

"Not for long!" Navy called, hopping over yellow and Kelly and stealing the orb. Kelly tried to hold onto it, figuring it was important, but Navy ripped it from her hands.

Just as Navy landed, a group of ghouls surrounded him. Yellow hopped off his bike to grab the orb, leaving Kelly vulnerable to the ghouls.

Before Yellow could get the orb back, Navy tossed it to Crimson. For a moment, everyone forgot about the battle for the orb to keep the ghouls away and form a circle.

"These guys are fearless," Red stated, looking around at the other Rangers.

"They're dead," Blue said. "It's not like they have much to lose."

"So, that would be the glass half-empty, right?" Yellow said.

Suddenly, Kelly let out a loud cry as a ghoul threw her down. Obviously he wasn't attacking only the Rangers. He was going after every living being.

"Kelly!" Yellow frowned, trying to leave the circle, but the ghouls surrounding him and the other Rangers stepped forward, ready to attack.

"How about a truce?" Red offered to Crimson and Navy. "Let's do this together."

"Fine by me," Crimson nodded, "But only for now."

The Rangers all jumped forward to attack, with only Yellow running over to Kelly. The ghoul was about to bring down a blade on her when he got in the way, stopping it before it reached her face.

Kelly looked up at her hero in shock.

"Get out!" Yellow told her, "Get to safety!"

Kelly nodded, stumbling to her feet before running over to a tree and hiding behind it. She knew she wouldn't be able to get far if she wanted to run.

Yellow ran back over to the other rangers as they finished off the ghouls. He placed his arm over Navy's shoulder and patted it.

"You rock, bro!" he said.

Navy grabbed Yellow's arm, throwing him to the ground.

"Don't call me bro!" he shouted.

Blue touched his shoulder, "Blake!"

He threw her aside as well.

Red tried to acknowledge Crimson with a high-five, but Crimson refused, instead knocking Red to the ground with an elbow to the ribs.

Navy grabbed the talking orb, while Crimson ran over to Kelly. He grabbed her arm roughly and yanked her over before the Rangers.

Yellow growled, stepping ahead of the group.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Simple," Crimson shrugged, "Revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Red asked.

"What did Kelly do?" Yellow added.

Hunter pushed Kelly down to her knees and pulled out this Thunder staff.

"Nothing," he said, "We just need a distraction."

With that, he brought his Thunder Staff down, striking Kelly across the back. She barely made a sound as she fell forward.

Before the three Rangers could say anything, Crimson and Navy took off with the talking orb.

"You guys go," Yellow told his team-mates. "I'll look after Kelly."

Red retracted his visor, and blue quickly followed.

"Are you sure, bro?"

Yellow nodded, powering down, "I'm sure. I'll take her back; just make sure you get Sensei back home."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly woke with a start, pushing herself off her bed only to scream in pain and drop back, stomach on the mat.

She heard someone running over and felt a hand touching her arm.

"It's okay... you're okay," Dustin said softly.

"What happened?" Kelly asked, turning her head so she could look at Dustin, "I feel like I've just been run over."

"I was hoping you could tell me," Dustin shrugged. "I stopped by to get the sweater I left here and you weren't home. You're always home."

Kelly nodded and rolled over so she could sit up. She felt something pulling on her back, but ignored it. After years in the athletic life, she knew how to deal with intense pain. She refused to let it stop her from going on with her day.

Dustin didn't seem too comfortable with that idea though. He got into the bed behind Kelly and gently pushed her forward then leaned her back so she wasn't hurting herself as much.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked her.

"Hunter was at the door," Kelly told him, thinking back to what happened before her adventure. "He was talking to me about... something, before something hit me over the head."

Dustin quickly brushed through her hair, finding the injury that the clipboard had made. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was still healing up fine, and the blow to the head hadn't done anything to aggravate it. However, he was going to have to have a long talk with the two brothers who used to be his friends.

"Next thing I knew," Kelly continued, "Hunter and Blake were forcing me to walk with them through a forest. They weren't exactly being friendly while doing it."

"Shane was right about those guys," Dustin nodded. "They do have a mean streak."

"It's not that," Kelly said, looking up at Dustin, "These freaky grey monsters appeared, and Hunter and Blake turned into those evil Power Rangers."

"Wait, what?" Dustin asked, looking down at Kelly with an odd look. He was already aware of Hunter and Blake's little secret, but he had to act like he didn't know for Kelly's sake.

"They are the evil Power Rangers," Kelly repeated.

Dustin didn't know what to do. He couldn't leave Kelly to believe this, but he didn't want to discourage it again. It would surely raise suspicion.

Suddenly, Shane and Tori walked in.

"Hey, we heard about the incident," Tori said, sitting on the end of Kelly's bed, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kelly nodded.

"Seems like Hunter got what he wanted," Shane breathed deeply, "The store's trashed."

"What?" Kelly asked, jumping up.

"Yeah," Shane nodded, scratching his head, "The store's totally messed. Apparently Hunter had planned on stealing or something."

"But... Kelly frowned, turning to Dustin, "I was in a forest, and..."

Dustin shrugged. He didn't know what was going on. He looked to Tori and Shane for help. Tori bit her lower lip as her eyes pointed to Shane.

Shane continued to scratch his head before tapping it and winking. Dustin got the message.

"Maybe that was just a dream," Dustin told her. "Apparently the Rangers have been on your mind a lot lately. First me and Shane; and now Hunter and Blake?"

Kelly didn't believe this. She couldn't! She knew she had been in a forest, attacked by ghouls and Hunter and Blake were there.

"But..."

"The store's messed up, Kelly," Tori said, placing a hand on Kelly's leg. "I wish it weren't but..."

Kelly threw the blankets off and ran for the stairs, ignoring the pain in her back, which was another sign that her dream was more than a dream.

As she got downstairs, she saw that Shane and Tori were right. Everything was overturned, all the stock was on the ground, the register had been pulled open, and the money gone.

Over by the door, on the floor, was a red stain. Shane walked up behind Kelly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, Kel... we're really sorry about this."

"But..."

"I found you right here, Kelly," Dustin said, pointing to the spot on the floor that was stained. "You must have put up a fight when Hunter tried to take you out. Maybe that's why your back's a little torn up."

"We'll stay here," Tori told her friend, "and make sure this place is cleaned up before tomorrow."

"You just go rest," Shane said, leading Kelly back to the stairs. He walked her up while Tori and Dustin started cleaning.

Dustin glared at Tori, "What did you guys do?"

Tori sighed, walking over to her friend, "We had to..."

"You're protecting them!" Dustin shouted. "They did her wrong, and you're protecting them!"

"You don't get it, Dustin," Tori snapped, "We followed them back to the cavern of lost souls. Their parents appeared and told us all the truth."

"What's that?" Dustin growled, "That Hunter and Blake deserve to die?"

"Lothor killed their parents," Tori explained, and Dustin's face softened. "Lothor killed them, and framed Sensei. That's why they went after him. They wanted revenge."

"That still doesn't explain why they took Kelly," he grumbled.

"They took her because they know she's a weak spot," Tori breathed. She brought Dustin over to the couches and sat him down. "Their plan almost worked too. Because you had to leave with her, Shane and I almost lost Sensei. If it weren't for Blake and Hunter's parents showing up..."

"Dude..."

"Dustin, we need to tell her," Tori begged. "If they can find out about her, Lothor can too! At least if she knows she can protect herself better! Stuff like this wouldn't be..."

"We can't, Tor," Dustin said. "Do you know what she'll do to me if she found out I lied?"

"For a good reason!"

"Dude, we made her believe her head injury was worst than it was! I don't know if you know this, but chicks freak out when you lie to them."

Tori frowned, "Dustin..."

"Right. Sorry, dude."

Tori leaned back in her seat, "I just feel terrible for all this. Saving the world isn't supposed to be this hard."

"We'll work around it," Dustin assured her. "We have to. For Kelly's sake."

Tori nodded, leaving the room in silence for a moment. Dustin looked around at the wreck and sighed.

"So, did you and Shane really trash this place?"

Tori nodded sadly, pulling out the money from the register from her pocket.

"We knew it was the only way she would believe our story," Tori said, "Hunter and Blake aren't bad guys... they were lied too."

"Kinda like you were?" Dustin asked, turning to Tori.

"Don't remind me," she breathed.

"You didn't know, Tor," Dustin said. "He took advantage of you. It won't happen again, I'll make sure of it."

As Tori started to sob, Dustin grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her, protecting her for the moment.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

The following day, Kelly was stomping around Storm Chargers. She was a little upset the boys weren't letting her work (Shane was even helping out for the day to cover her shift), but she was infuriated about the fact that Hunter had proven he was evil to the core.

She had to admit, Tori and the boys did a great job cleaning up the shop, but that didn't do anything to soften the blow for Kelly. Storm Chargers was her baby.

Tori walked into the shop and went straight for the back desk, where Shane and Dustin were talking.

"Guys... about Blake and Hunter..." she started, and instantly both boys tensed up. Even Kelly seemed to react to their names. "They're gone."

"Gone, where?" Shane asked a little concerned.

"Not sure," Tori shrugged, "But they said to say goodbye... and sorry."

Tori looked over to Kelly for that last part. The apology didn't change her mood, but she was definitely listening.

"They just left?" Dustin asked, infuriated. He had a right to be. Both Bradley boys hurt his two best girl friends. Blake had used Tori and betrayed her trust for personal gain, and Hunter attacked his boss and friend and left her for dead. Now, they were gone. "Just like that? They take off?"

He slammed his hands down on the counter, making Tori jump slightly. He face softened a bit, and everyone could tell she was deeply hurt.

Dustin wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back into his arms. Kelly walked over behind the counter and Shane touched her back gently. He could feel the scar under her shirt and was sure not to press down as he too held her protectively.

Shane looked over at Dustin, with an obvious look of irritation on his face. Dustin gazed back and nodded.

No one hurt their girls and walked away. If it were up to them, Blake and Hunter would be on their knees begging not to die a very slow and painful death.


	8. Secret's Out

It had already been a few weeks since Blake and Hunter took off, and Kelly was feeling better than ever. No monsters had attacked the district near her shop in those few weeks, Dustin was attending most of his shift (he still ran out once or twice) and her back was healing up nicely.

But best of all there was no Hunter. No more cocky, brooding bad boy, thief who wanted to steal from her. He was gone for good!

As much as it hurt that he didn't apologize personally, Kelly was happy he was gone. As long as she never saw his face again, she could live without an apology.

That's when she saw them. Hunter and Blake stepping back into her store. They stood around for a bit, barely acknowledging her presence aside from a nod, until Roger Hannah, Factory Blue's leading representative walked in. Kelly smiled, making her was around the counter, until Blake and Hunter reached him first and shook his hand.

"So nice to meet you," Roger said to the boys, and Kelly pulled back. A customer come up to her, ready to make a purchase. As she rung him up, she glared at the boys.

Roger Hannah left, with a smile on his face, passing by Dustin as he did.

Dustin smiled, making his way to the boys.

"So, what? Did you guys sign?" Dustin asked excitedly, surprising Kelly. Last she had heard, he had no idea where they were. "Factory Blue, that's crazy."

"We'll catch you later," Hunter growled, turning to leave until Dustin stopped him.

"Hey, do you guys want to hang? We just got those new rubber stop triple clamps in."

"We'll pass," Blake said, rather coldly as he and his brother left.

Dustin called after them, "Well, what about... wait, don't you guys think we have some things we need to talk about?"

"I wouldn't bother," Kelly said, lifting her head up, "I wouldn't waste my breath on them."

Dustin turned around, "I didn't tell you Tori met up with them again, did I?" he asked.

Kelly shook her head, "Nope," she said.

Dustin went on to explain their return, telling Kelly that while she was out buying supplies the other day, Roger Hannah walked into the store and asked for them. That had unleashed some feelings in Tori and she went riding to feel closer to Blake, even though he ripped her heart out. While riding, she met up with him and they got to talking. She forgave him and invited him back. Dustin managed to tell them that Roger Hannah was looking for them and apparently the only place they could meet was there.

Kelly was glaring at her only employee after he explained this.

"You know I hate them!"

"Dude, I didn't tell them to come here," Dustin said. "Believe me, I don't want Hunter near you either... and after the way they just blew me off now, I don't want Blake around Tori."

"Until Hunter returns my money and apologises for what he did, I don't want them anywhere near my store."

Dustin nodded, "I'll make sure of it."

He tapped Kelly on the shoulder gently then turned to leave, "Now I have to go!" he called, "I just remembered I need to meet the guys."

"Dustin!" Kelly shouted, checking the clock, "You have a shift in thirty..."

"You're the most awesome boss, Kel!" Dustin said just before disappearing. Kelly groaned, dropping her head in her hands.

"Don't murder him, don't murder him. Last thing you need is a lawsuit, Kelly. Breathe..."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly was swamped with a group of customers. She groaned and looked over at the wall full of advertisements for a sale she was having to _Beat the Freeze_. Temperatures in Blue Bay Harbour had dropped suddenly, and it seemed Storm Chargers was the only store in Blue Bay that carried clothing for such the occasion.

Kelly was busy running around the store, serving customers and refilling the shelves. She was answering questions, helping people try on the equipment and working the cash, all on her own. Dustin failed to show up for work today, and hadn't even bothered to call.

A customer walked up to her, holding a pair of gloves in his hands.

"Do you have these in another size? I can barely get my hands in them?"

Kelly check nodded, running over to the rack where the gloves were, but finding none.

"These are my last pair," she told him. "How about..."

She turned around and grabbed a pair of motocross gloves from the shelves.

"Motocross gloves!" she offered, "They'll keep you warm and they look cool too!"

The customer nodded reluctantly, figuring it was better than nothing it all. Kelly smiled.

"Great, I'll be right back!" she said as she ran over to the register. As she went over, she checked the clock and groaned, "Dustin, you are so fired if you don't come into work today!"

"Hey, lady! I need you to ring these up!" another customer called, slamming down an armful of sweatshirts. Kelly's eye widened as she stared at the pile.

"Are you sure you need that much?" she asked in disbelief at both the amount of sweatshirts the customer was getting, and at the fact that she was trying to discourage this sale.

"Lady, I'm freezing!" the customer told her, "Just ring them up."

"Hold on," Kelly told him, "I'll just finish with this guy and I'll get right you."

"Excuse me!" a woman called, moving her son forward with her as she ran over to the cash, "Does this look like it fits? He says it feels a little tight."

"Mom," the boy groaned.

"Um, miss!" the first customer called, "I would like my gloves today!"

"Hold on!" Kelly called, rather aggressively. She rang up the gloves and took the money, stuffing it in the register before helping the second customer.

"Mommy, it's really tight!" the little boy said, tugging on the collar.

"Miss, a little service would be nice!"

Kelly glared up at the clock, "Dustin, I swear, I'm going to do something terrible to you if you don't show up!"

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Of course, by the time the rush was gone, the store was set to close. Kelly just needed to unload the last few boxes onto the shelves and make sure the stock was right before she was going to lock the doors.

Again, she was doing this on her own, because Dustin still hadn't shown.

Kelly was suffering from a rather painful headache after dealing with a day of screaming customers and temperature changes.

"Hey, Kel..." she heard Dustin call finally as he walked into the store, dragging his feet. Kelly looked up and groaned. Not only did he show up, but Hunter and Blake were right behind him.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," she said, closing up a box and turning away.

"Kelly, I can explain... I was kinda stuck in the middle of nowhere and..."

"It wasn't his fault," Hunter interrupted. "He was helping us out."

Kelly frowned, "Of course. The problem always seems to come back to you guys. Why am I not surprised. Dustin, you couldn't have called, or sent an e-mail?"

"You gotta trust me, if there was anyways I'd have been here... I'm really sorry!" Dustin tried. Kelly wouldn't have it. Not this time. She grabbed all the extra clothes left over from the sale and started to carry them to the back.

"Dustin's telling you the truth," Blake told her. "As for my brother and me... we know we let you down a bunch of times. We're through with that. We wanna start over."

"We'll make it up to you!" Hunter added, "We promise."

"Well," Kelly started, putting a rather large box down, "I'm still kinda short-handed. I could do with some stock boys."

"Stock boys?" Blake asked. Kelly nodded.

"You know; someone to open boxes, clean the floors at night..."

"I was thinking more along the lines of head mechanic or..."

"I wasn't talking to you," Kelly said to Hunter, growling deeply. "You don't get a job until the sky turns green and the money you stole falls from the clouds and lands back into my pockets."

Hunter frowned, "What? I thought Tori and Shane explained what happened."

Kelly walked over to Hunter, glaring up at him, "You knocked me out cold and took every fucking penny I had in the register! I already didn't like you then you pull something like this."

Hunter turned to Dustin and glared. He looked up at the blonde and shrugged. Kelly couldn't see this, but Dustin mouthed: _It was the best we could do for you_.

Hunter looked back at Kelly and his face softened, "I'm sorry, Kelly."

"Sorry doesn't pay for the doctor's appointments now does it," Kelly asked, holding out her hand. Hunter looked down at it curiously.

"What's..."

Kelly pulled her hand back, "I figured as much."

"What do you want me to do, Kelly?" Hunter asked her as she walked away. "I wasn't in the right state of mind. Believe me, that's not who I normally am."

"I don't care what your excuse is, Hunter! No one is excused from a crime just because they weren't in a good place in their life! It's called control."

"I didn't have it!" Hunter tried to tell her, "Believe me!"

"I can't do that, Hunter!" Kelly screamed, and Dustin grabbed her gently, pulling her away from the taller brother.

"Kelly," he whispered softly, "I know you have it out for these guys but they've changed, trust me."

"What is up with you, Dustin?" Kelly asked, "Don't you remember how these guys treated you?"

"Look, Kel, they were stranded on the side of the street and I figured I would be a good person and help them out..."

"Is that why you didn't show up today?" Kelly growled, "I had a grown man pee on me because he wasn't happy with the service, and some demon child bit me! Not to mention all the threats from angry customers!"

"A grown man peed..."

"That's not important," Kelly interrupted, "You're lucky I'm choosing to hire the short asshole and you're keeping your job. Don't make me push it and hire that son of a bitch too!"

"Kelly, I'm really sorry!"

"Don't say it, Dustin," Kelly screamed, "I've had it up to here! I'm so angry at you!"

Dustin pulled Kelly into a hug, "I know I haven't been the best employee lately, but I have a really good reason for it."

"And what could that me?" Kelly growled.

"I... I can't tell you," Dustin sighed.

"Of course not," Kelly nodded, trying to pull away from Dustin, but he held onto her. "Let me go!"

Dustin pulled Kelly into the back room. "Look, I'll tell you."

"No, don't..."

"Kelly..." Dustin started, taking a deep breath. "You can't tell the others that I'm about to tell you this."

"Dustin, I swear to god, if this is some lame excuse about your grandmother again I'm going to murder you right here right now."

Dustin grabbed Kelly's hand gently, making her look up at him.

"Kelly, the reason I've been bailing on my shifts is because you're right," he said. Kelly looked over her right shoulder.

"My right?" she asked

"No, you're right! You are right!" Dustin told her.

Kelly crossed her arms, "Right about what?"

"That time you saw me and Shane morphing into the Power Rangers... you were right."

Kelly's frown disappeared and was quickly replaced by a smirk. She tried to hold a laugh in.

"Right... the guy who can barely save Storm Chargers from a mad rush is saving the world!" she chuckled, patting Dustin on the arm, rather roughly, before pinching him. Dustin winced as she growled, "I want the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth, dude," Dustin whimpered. "The reason I keep running out on you is because I'm a Ranger! There are always monster attacks or training I have to get to..."

Kelly rolled her eyes, "Whatever..."

Dustin rolled up his sleeve, showing Kelly his huge wrist watch, "Look..."

"It's big and fancy, I know," Kelly said, "But what..."

"Cam, are you there?" Dustin spoke into the watch. Kelly looked at him like he was insane, until she heard a reply.

"_Yeah, I'm here Dustin. What do you need?"_

"I thought I saw some Kalzacks by the track. Mind scanning the area for me quickly?"

"_On it."_ There was a long pause. Dustin waited for results that he knew would be fake, and Kelly stared in shock. Finally, Cam came back on the line, _"Sorry, Dustin, but you must have been seeing things. I'm not picking up anything."_

"Damn," Dustin laughed, "And I thought I would get to play hero this time."

"_Save it for the next battle, Dustin."_

"Thanks anyways, Cam," Dustin smiled. He pressed a button, killing communication and turned to Kelly.

"You... you are a Ranger..." she breathed.

"Yeah, and so are Shane and Tori and Hunter and Blake!" Dustin told her. "You can't tell them I told you though... you can't even tell them you found out..."

"Wait..."Kelly paused as he shocked expression turned into one of hate, "You said I was hallucinating!"

"About that..."

"You had me panicked there was something terribly wrong with me!" Kelly cried.

"We only did it to protect you..."

"And that forest incident, with Hunter and Blake, that was real too?"

"Kinda..." Dustin nodded.

"You son of a bitch!" Kelly screamed, hitting Dustin in the chest as hard as she could, and Dustin had to admit it hurt. Kelly continued to hit him as she began to scream hysterically, "You fucking son of a bitch!"

Dustin grabbed her wrists, keeping her from hitting him anymore, but Kelly still squirmed. Dustin had to use all the strength he could to calm her down. He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight so she couldn't get out.

"Kelly, I'm so sorry."

"I hate you!" Kelly screamed.

"I know we lied," Dustin told her. "Shane and I did morph, there really was two Toris and Hunter... didn't rob you. Tori and Shane made that up. They trashed the place while you were still unconscious and made the red stain. Then Tori opened the register and took the money to make it look like Hunter did it! But we were only trying to protect you Kelly."

"Why?" Kelly growled, "Why the hell would you do this? What did I do?"

"You are our weak spot!" Dustin explained as gently as he could. "Hunter and Blake were under this mind control thing by the bad guy, Lothor, and were made to be evil. That's why Hunter knocked you out and took you to the forest. They were using you as a distraction because they wanted to kill Sensei. We couldn't let you find out the truth, because you know what happens to innocent, defenceless allies when the bad guys find out they know!"

"Innocent and defenceless?" Kelly asked.

Dustin rubbed his chest, where the bruises were starting to form, "Okay, maybe not totally defenceless, but if Lothor finds out you know our secret he could use you to get to us Rangers. That's why we had to lie. You can ask anyone, we all feel terrible about it. Tori hasn't slept since she took the money!"

Dustin paused for a moment, "Okay, well don't ask them because this is supposed to be a secret, but you get the point."

Kelly let out a very loud, frustrated groan, "What am I supposed to do now, Dustin?" she asked him.

"Dude, I don't know," Dustin answered honestly, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I were you I would fire me and Blake and Hunter."

"Hunter doesn't work here," Kelly growled, "Though I do want to fire him.

"From a cannon?" Dustin laughed. Kelly shook her head before really thinking about it.

"Actually..."

Dustin smiled, "Please Kelly, can we just start over? Hunter and Blake aren't actually bad guys, and you know I'm, like, the best employee you'll ever find. I may have poor attendance, but no one else will ever be this passionate about a job."

"I don't know..."

"Please," Dustin begged, pulling the puppy face Tori taught him years ago. Kelly frowned.

"Okay, okay, you're all hired, or rehired or... not fired... or... whatever, working here. Just stop with that demented face!" Kelly said, turning her eyes away.

Maybe Tori still had a little teaching to do; but the face worked.

Dustin grabbed Kelly in his arms, holding her in a giant bear hug. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you!" he cried happily.

Kelly wiped off the spit from her cheek and groaned, "You're welcome. And don't worry, I won't tell the others."

Dustin smiled and walked Kelly out to the front of the store. She tossed both Blake and Hunter a box from the counter.

"You're hired," she said, "But Hunter's not getting paid until he's paid off the money from the register."

Kelly walked over to the door, tossing Dustin the keys and giving him a wink. If she was going to keep his secret a secret, then she had to let Hunter and Blake believe that she still thought Hunter stole the money, "And you can all start by cleaning up this mess."

With that, she was gone.

Hunter turned to Dustin, "But I didn't take the money from her."

Dustin shrugged, "Well, Tori's holding onto it right now. You'll have to talk to her about that."

"Dude," Hunter sighed, dropping his head back.

"That's what you get for knocking the boss unconscious," Blake laughed.

"But... I..."

Outside, Kelly could still hearing the boys whinnied as she jumped into the van. She was smiling, until she put her keys in the ignition.

That was when the secret finally hit her. Dustin and the others were Power Rangers.

Kelly took a deep breath, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"


	9. Total Trek

After learning the truth from Dustin about himself and the others being Power Rangers, things were starting to run much more smoothly for Kelly and Storm Chargers. Her employees were still running off on her, but she understood.

Now that she knew the truth, Dustin seemed to be working harder, as if making up for the times he knew he would be running off. He was working in the front, helping out customers and making sales. He was even having the time of his life keeping the new employees in line.

Blake was always busy with the bikes that needed repairs. If he wasn't helping Dustin, he was doing it on his own. Never once did he complain to Kelly, because he knew that she had already had to do everything on her own. When he thought about that, he was thankful he was the one running off putting his life at risk, instead of staying here to run the store single-handedly.

Then there was Hunter. Even after two weeks of working with him, Kelly still didn't like him. Now that everything was cleared up about the robbing and the kidnapping, Kelly wasn't mad at him, but she still found herself hating his guts.

And, because she couldn't stand Hunter, he was working in the back, away from her, opening boxes all day.

"Kelly, I'm done stock," Hunter called, rising from behind the back counter and poking his head out, "Mind if I help Blake with..."

Kelly came around the counter to check his work. Everything was stocked properly.

"I guess..." Kelly frowned, double checking just in case.

"Awesome!" Hunter smiled, placing his hand on Kelly's back as he went past her. Kelly groaned, pulling away. Though her back was healing up nicely after Hunter slashed his sharp Thunder Blade across it, it was still tender to the touch. Tears came to her eyes from the pain and Kelly stumbled forward instinctively to protect herself.

As she did this, she hit the shelves, knocking them slightly off balance. Hunter was quick to react, catching the shelf before it fell. He smiled, breathing a sigh of relief as he looked down at Kelly.

"Whew," he said, "That was close."

Kelly knew what was coming next. It always happened. Before she could saw anything about it to Hunter, the stock on the shelf fell, knocking them both down.

Hunter grabbed her, quickly rolling out of the way before the heavy shelf fell on top of both of them. When they stopped rolling, Hunter was lying on his back and Kelly was right on top of him.

He chuckled slightly as they both opened their eyes, "You know, when Dustin said we should spend a little time getting to know each other, I don't think he..."

Kelly punched him in the chest before rising. She looked over at the fallen shelves and stock. She shook her head and glared at Hunter when he got to his feet.

"You're cleaning this up and repairing everything that's broken!" she growled. "I don't care if you're working here all night!"

"I'm so sorry," Hunter lifted the shelf back upright and looked at the damage. All the boxes were crushed and most of the equipment that had been sitting on the shelves was bent or broken.

"Just..." Kelly started, rubbing her temples, "Clean it up."

Hunter nodded, about to do so when his morpher beeped. He tried to hide it the sound from Kelly as he pulled away.

"I'll be right back," he told her, "I really need to pee."

Kelly rolled her eyes. She knew he was being called away for the greater good of the world, but she couldn't tell him she knew.

"So you're set on clockwork?" Kelly shouted as he disappeared, "You can set your watch to your bathroom schedule?"

Suddenly, he ran out of the bathroom, grabbing his bags, "Sorry, Kel! I have to go."

Kelly opened the back door for him, letting him run out without asking for an excuse. She wasn't going to let him off easy though. Though she hated the mess he had made and wanted it cleaned up as soon as possible, she was going to leave it for when he came home, exhausted and tired for a long day of... whatever Rangers did.

She left the backroom, not wanting to see the mess any longer and saw Dustin was setting up the banner for Total Trek. It was a one day game that held a different combination of several extreme sports.

Thinking it odd Hunter was called away and Dustin wasn't, Kelly walked over to the yellow Ranger.

"Hunter just took off," she whispered, "Aren't you leaving?"

Dustin looked down at Kelly from the top of the ladder and pulled out a couple of nails from his mouth, "Ever since Hunter and Blake joined, we've had two leaders," he explained. "Sensei's got them training together to see if he can work out their issues."

"Remind me to meet your sensei one day," Kelly groaned. "He keeps messing up my schedules."

Dustin chuckled and nodded, "I'll be sure to let him know... somehow."

"Anything you need help with?" Kelly asked. Dustin was in charge of setting up the store to advertise for Total Trek, but now that the back room was off limits, Kelly needed to find something to keep her busy until Hunter got back.

"Actually, would you mind setting up the board with the race track?" Dustin asked. "This banner's a lot harder to set up then I thought."

Kelly smiled and ran over behind the front counter to grab the large board.

"Just be careful not to hit your..."

"OW!"

"... thumb," Kelly winced. She put the board on the counter and ran to the little fridge and freezer to get a pack of ice.

She went over to Dustin and handed it up to him before setting up the board with the track.

Tori walked in at that moment and saw the banner. With a smile, she reached up, touching it gently.

"If you had surfing I would be all over this Total Trek," she said. Dustin stepped down from his ladder, tossing his bag of ice into an empty box as he turned to Tori.

"Oh, yeah. That'd be fair," he laughed, "you blowing everybody out of the water?"

"And the problem with that is...?" Tori smirked.

Kelly said Tori was in and saw her chance at finally presenting the course for this year's Total Trek. She called them over with a smile.

"We start at the skate park then run to the motocross track then urban climb to finish," she smiled proudly. She looked to Dustin, "Are you entering?"

"I'm never getting on a skateboard again," Dustin said. "I've got bruises from last year."

Kelly laughed, until she saw Shane entering with Hunter.

"Hey, you got an entry form for my kick-flip challenged friend here?" Shane asked, pointing over his shoulder to Hunter.

"Individual or are you guys doing the team competition?" Kelly asked.

Hunter scoffed, "Us? Together?" he asked.

"You have a better chance of seeing me on blade skates," Shane added.

"Just asking," Kelly frowned, turning to get Hunter a form. As she did, she muttered to herself, "I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be with _Hunter_ either."

She turned back around and handed him a form, "Well, you're the second one to sign up, Hunter."

"Ah? Who's first?" he asked.

Shane smirked, dusting off Hunter's shoulder, "You're toast, dirt boy."

Hunter frowned as Tori and Dustin giggled. He spun around, catching up to Shane.

"Wait, do you hear that?" he asked, looking upwards, "It sounds like... your hopes and dreams crashing down around you?"

As the two boys left in opposite directions, Tori, Dustin and Kelly gathered.

"And here we see alpha males in their natural habitat," Tori laughed.

Hunter, who had gone into the back room to clean up, popped his head out.

"Hey, kel?" he called to his boss. Kelly turned around.

"Yes?"

"You've done skateboarding before, right?"

Kelly nodded, "When I was a kid it was all I did."

"Would you like to teach me?" Hunter asked politely. Kelly shrugged, thinking for a moment.

"No."

Hunter frowned, "What? Why not?"

"I don't like you," Kelly stated. "The sooner you realise that, the sooner we'll all be at peace."

"C'mon, bro," Blake said, wiping off the grease from his hands, "I'll take out to the park for a practice run."

Blake clocked out and led his brother to the door. As Hunter left, he looked back to Kelly.

"How come you don't yell threats at him when he leaves?" he frowned.

"I like him," Kelly smiled. "Are you stupid? I swear, Hunter, once of these days I'm really going to hurt you."

"Do you see how she treats me?" Hunter called to Dustin and Tori. They both snickered, waving goodbye to Hunter.

Kelly stuck her tongue out as Hunter disappeared behind the door. When he was out of sight, she pulled her tongue back in and turned to Dustin.

"Are you sure you don't want to enter?" she asked him. "I could teach you to board, and if you beat him I'll double your salary."

Dustin laughed, patting his friend on the shoulder, "It's tempting, Kel. But I'll pass."

Kelly turned to Tori, "C'mon, Tor..."

"Are you kidding?" Tori frowned, "I can ride a bike, but chances are it's going to wind up in your shop long before I cross the finish line."

"I'll train you day and night and triple your salary!" Kelly begged, "Just please, I need someone to kick his ass."

"I don't work here," Tori laughed, "And you have Shane."

"But I need to guarantee my chances that Hunter's going down," Kelly said, "Shane may be good with a board, but Hunter's great on a bike!"

The two Rangers smiled at Kelly, "Sorry, but you'll have to trust Shane with this."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Total Trek had finally arrived. Today was the day.

After the others had been called to battle, against what Kelly could only describe as a messed up kangaroo, things had changed between Shane and Hunter. They were getting along much better than before, and had suddenly decided to change their applications over to work as a team.

When Kelly approached Dustin about it, he told her that Shane and Hunter learned their lesson about working together while fighting the kangaroo and decided to put aside their differences to make two great co-leaders, instead of two alpha males. It made a world of a difference for the Ranger team.

However, that meant that the odds Hunter won in the games, and the odds Kelly would have to present the trophy over to him, where great.

And just as she had predicted, Hunter and Shane had won.

She held a large trophy in her hands and a smile on her face (a fake smile for Hunter, but real for Shane).

"And the winner of this year's Total Trek, is the team of Shane and Hunter!" she said, handing over the trophy to both men in red. They high-fived as they accepted it and Kelly ran away as quickly as she could to the back.

She stepped over the mess that was still covering her back room and went to her desk. She grabbed some papers and stuffed them in a folder before Hunter walked in.

"Hey, Kel? Do you have any ice?" he asked her. "I think I pulled something while running. My leg is killing me."

"In the fridge," Kelly said, not bothering to look up. Hunter smiled but didn't go after it.

"Hey, aren't you happy?" he asked, "Shane and I won."

Kelly scoffed, "I'm happy Shane won."

"Really?" Hunter chuckled, stepping over the crushed boxes, "Why don't you like me?"

"I just don't," Kelly said. "I don't know why, but I don't like you. And you trying to make me like you really isn't helping."

Kelly reached over to the folders stacked away on a shelf (one that hadn't fallen over) and tried to put away the folder in her hands. As she tried, she stumbled over motocross gear that had been left on the floor from the incident. She nearly fell over, but caught herself on the desk.

"Now that I think about it," she said, "I think I know why I haven't warmed up to you."

"And what's that?" Hunter asked. Kelly simply pointed to the mess on the floor.

"It's been three days!"

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck, "Right... About that; I was going to get around to it, but I was busy..."

Kelly grabbed Hunter's nametag from the desk and swiped it through the punch clock. She tossed it over to him.

"You're not leaving this store until everything's cleaned. Got it?"

"Okay, okay," Hunter said, dropping to his knees and grabbing a box, popping it back out. "I'll get right to work on it."

Kelly nodded and went upstairs to relax just as Blake walked in.

"Dude, Kelly's been waiting for you to clean this," he said. "She's been cursing at you for days now."

"Yeah, yeah," Hunter nodded.

Blake smirked, patting his brother on the back with a smile, "You know how you say Tori likes me."

"Yeah," Hunter nodded.

"Well, she and I bicker all the time now," Blake smirked.

"You mean that flirting you two do where you pretend to fight?" Hunter asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Well, Tori teases me all the time, and you say that girls do that when they like a guy. They mess with him. Maybe..."

"Dude, Kelly hates my guts," Hunter frowned, "What would make you think...?"

"I don't know," Blake shrugged, but the tone of his voice indicated he knew exactly what he was talking about. "But maybe Kelly's just one of those girls who hates the guys she loves."

Hunter frowned, "Dude, that's crazy talk."

"Do you like her?" Blake asked. Hunter shrugged.

"I don't know... I mean, she's hot but... that might just be because she's my boss..."

Blake laughed, "Well, we'll let fate run its course. But at the wedding, I deserve a shout out."


	10. Double Date

Kelly was just going over the stock list with Blake when Hunter ran over, clearing his throat. As usual, Blake and Kelly both turned, but Kelly turned away from Hunter, keeping her clipboard with her and ignoring Hunter's presence.

As Kelly moved away, Tori rolled over on a bike. Tori had dropped Blake off to work after they were at Ninja practice (thought the four had no idea Kelly knew), and she saw Kelly was a little short handed with the delivery that came in and offered to help.

"What's that?" Tori asked, spotting the tickets in Hunter and Blake's hands.

"Tickets to the Martial Arts Film Festival," Hunter told her, almost in a bragging manner. "They're showing Fists of Fire 2."

"Huh," Tori said before she started rolling away. "Hoping to pick up a few pointers?"

"Yeah, ha-ha," Blake laughed, before running to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Hey, listen; um... what are you going to be doing? Do you wanna come?"

Tori nodded and smiled brightly, excited for a day with Blake, "Sure, I love those old Kung Fu movies?"

Kelly had looked up to see her little Tori getting asked out on her first date and smiled. Her smile widened when she saw Hunter disappointed his baby brother invited the girl of his dreams. Kelly had to hold back a laugh at his expense.

"So around 3:00?" Blake asked to confirm the time of the date. Tori accepted the ticket and nodded.

Blake left to the backroom and Kelly moved over to Tori.

"So, you're not going to the skate demo?" she asked. The skate demo was for Shane and Tori had promised him weeks ago that she would be there for support. When Kelly heard that Tori had accepted a date at the same time as the demo, she had to make sure Tori wasn't choosing a boy over the boys.

"The demo is tomorrow?" Tori frowned, lowering her head in disappointed.

"Don't tell me you forgot," Kelly sighed, "Shane's been talking about it all week."

"I don't believe this!" Tori groaned, getting off the bike and handing it to Kelly. Kelly smiled softly, rolling the bike over to the rack.

Hunter was at the bike rack, tightening the seat on one of the newer bikes that had come in when he saw Kelly. He jumped to his feet with a smile.

"Hey, uh, Kel," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Kelly looked over at him and frowned.

"What?"

"Well, Blake and I got these tickets to a Martial Arts Film Festivals and we were supposed to invite some guys to the track but..."

"But Blake invited Tori without asking you first and now you're afraid you're going to be stuck in the middle of a date," Kelly finished for Hunter with a smirk. "I know, I saw it all. Your face was priceless!"

"Yeah, well, about that..." Hunter said, "Now that Blake invited Tori, I need someone to go with me. I can't bring another bro to a movie when he's bringing his girl. That'll throw everything off, you know."

Kelly patted Hunter on the shoulder as she laughed, "Sure you can."

"I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to tag along with us," Hunter asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Kelly said.

"Oh, you have plans?" Hunter asked.

"No," Kelly shrugged, "I'm watching the dust gather on your pay check."

"I'm not asking you on a date," Hunter frowned, "We don't even have to sit together. But... I was thinking... Blake's my little bro and Tori's your best friend."

"Do you have a point, or is your mouth just moving like that for no reason?" Kelly asked, turning away from Hunter. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, turning her around.

"I don't trust Tori with my brother as far as I can throw her," Hunter said, "Blake's never had a girlfriend, never mind a friend who's a girl. He doesn't know how emotionally unstable they can be."

"You're saying this like I'm not a girl," Kelly frowned, crossing her arms.

"No, you are... but you're his boss," Hunter said. "A girlfriend is a totally different experience."

"Hunter," Kelly said, putting her hand up to shut him up, "Get to the point."

"Tori's a hoe and Blake hasn't had any action ever!" Hunter said.

"Ouch, that's a little harsh."

"If you really do care about Tori, then you'll come along with me to keep an eye on them both and make sure they don't end up in bed."

Kelly shook her head, pinching Hunter's cheek roughly, "You're such a funny man, Hunter, but no. Why give up the opportunity to leave you stuck between the Storm Charger love birds' make out session?"

When Kelly pulled away, she slapped Hunter hard on the cheek, "By the way, next time you call Tori a hoe you're fired."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Somehow, even after telling Hunter a firm no, Kelly still found herself waiting in the lobby of the theatre with the Bradley brothers.

Her no had been a sure thing when Kelly thought Tori was going to choose the demo over the date. However, when she heard Tori confirming her presence at the film with Blake, Kelly had to change her mind.

It wasn't because she wanted to keep an eye on Tori and Blake (though while she was there she would), but it was more to see if she could guilt trip Tori for missing on the demo and choosing the boy over Shane.

Suddenly, Tori appeared, slightly winded.

"Hi guys!"

"Hey, you made it!" Blake smiled. "I was starting to get worried there."

They walked over to the food-counter, but where stopped when a man in a chicken suit cut them off to offer refreshments. Before they could say anything, the woman at the counter called over to them.

"Can I help you?"

"Popcorn?" Hunter offered everyone.

"Uh, you guys got the tickets," Tori said, moving forward, "This is my treat."

The woman behind the counter shoved the bucket of popcorn in Tori's hands.

"It's left over from last week's sci-fi promotion," the woman said. Tori nodded and reached for her purse. She offered some money to the lady, but she refused.

"Okay, well... thanks," Tori smiled. She looked at her watch and suddenly grew very nervous. Without turning around, she gave the popcorn to Blake, pushing through Kelly to run for the door.

"Save me a seat, I'll be right back!"

"We'll be in the front," Blake said, though Tori wasn't around long enough to hear it. He looked over at Hunter questioningly. Hunter shrugged and turned to Kelly.

Kelly had no idea what was going on. She shrugged as well and stole the popcorn from the younger brother.

The three of them got into the theatre as the movie started. They found four seats, side by side and each took one. They put their stuff on the fourth seat to save it for Tori.

Kelly sat between the two brothers with the popcorn in her lap. Blake reached over to grab another handful and sighed.

"I wonder where Tori is."

He grabbed another handful just as Hunter was about to reach in. The older brother glared down at his little brother.

"Dude, are you going to eat the whole thing yourself?"

"Thinking about it," Blake smirked.

Kelly pulled the bucket away from both brothers when suddenly a red light shone from the top. Within moments, the three of them were pulled inside the bucket of popcorn.

They landed with a splash in the butter and surfaced just in time to hear Tori whispering. Blake quickly called her name and her head poked over the surface.

"Don't eat the popcorn!" Hunter warned her.

"Blake, Hunter, Kelly?" she asked. Her head pulled away and she turned, apparently talking to someone who was telling her to shush.

"Sorry, my friends are in the popcorn and I have to save them," she whispered.

The three in the popcorn heard a loud laugh right before the bucket started moving around wildly. The butter was being splashed in all directions, and the three were being whipped around.

"I don't know about the rest of you," Kelly started, trying to keep her balance, "But my dates usually don't go like this."

Blake got to his feet, throwing the butter off his hands as his face twisted in disgust.

"What is this stuff?" he asked.

"I don't know," Hunter frowned, "But let's get out of it."

"How?" Kelly asked as the two moved into a line, holding out their two first fingers. They jumped, as if suddenly remembering she was there. "How the hell are you going to get out of this mess?"

"Uh..." the two brothers stopped and exchanged glances.

"We climb the wall," Blake suggested, obviously thinking on his feet. Kelly looked down at the butter and frowned. This wasn't going to go well, and she knew it.

"C'mon," Hunter said, moving over the wall, "Get on my shoulders."

It was Kelly and Blake's turn to exchange looks. Neither wanted to risk getting up high, only to slip off and fall onto the butter coated ground.

"Don't look at me," Kelly frowned, "He's your brother."

"You're taller," Blake argued, "You'll reach higher."

"But I don't like him," Kelly said.

"Step on his face," Blake shrugged.

Hunter turned to his baby brother and frowned, "Dude!"

"Sorry, but this looks dangerous."

Kelly rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

She grabbed Hunter's shirt, pulling him down so she could climb up. Hunter was careful to keep steady as Kelly slowly made her way up his back. Suddenly he felt something pull her hair.

"OW!" he cried. Kelly laughed.

"You know, this will be fun."

"Be careful," Hunter growled. Kelly shook her head and held on tight as Hunter straightened out. When he was finished, she placed her hands on the wall for balance, slowing bringing herself upright.

Suddenly, Kelly lost balance. She slipped off Hunter's shoulders and fell back onto the ground.

Hunter and Blake quickly gathered around her, pulling her out of the butter. Blake tapped her cheek gently.

"Kel, you okay?" he called. Kelly didn't respond.

"Great," Hunter frowned, "She's dead."

"She's not dead," Blake said, feeling for her pulse, "She probably hit her head."

"Now what?" Hunter asked.

"Dude," Blake said, tapping Hunter's leg, "She's unconscious."

"Yeah, so?" Hunter asked.

"We're safe to morph.

Hunter nodded and smiled, "Right!"

Blake leaned Kelly against the wall of the bucket before standing beside his brother. Hunter made sure he was in position before beginning the morph.

"Ready?"

"THUNDER STORM, RANGER FORM!" they cried out, pressing on their morphers, but nothing happened.

"This isn't good," Blake said, looking over at his brother. Hunter groaned, kicking the butter, only to lose his footing. He slipped into the butter, surfacing quickly with a giant kernel in his hands.

"Hunter!" Blake smiled, rushing over to his brother, "Is that..."

"Unpopped kernels," Hunter nodded. "We can pop ourselves out of here."

"Wait..." Blake frowned, looking over at Kelly, "What about her? We can't use our powers. She might get shocked."

Hunter slid over to Kelly, grabbing her in his arms. He pulled her back over to Blake.

"I got her," Hunter said.

"You sure that'll work, bro?" Blake asked.

"Any other suggestions?" Hunter frowned. Blake shrugged. "Good."

The two brothers shut their eyes, focusing all their energy on heating up the bucket. Crimson and navy sparks flew around freely as the butter started to bubble. Before they knew it, the unpopped kernels were beginning to pop, and the boys and Kelly were rising to the top.

Suddenly, they were thrown from the bucket, landing in the middle of the city at the Ranger's feet.

"Hey," Shane laughed.

"Are you guys alright?" Tori asked.

"Kelly?" Dustin frowned, spotting his boss in the middle of the two brothers. While Tori and Shane helped Blake and Hunter to their feet, he grabbed Kelly. Retracting his visor, he saw her open her eyes. He smiled and she winked, before pretending to pass out again.

"Dude, you guys kinda reek," Dustin laughed, lifting Kelly in his arms.

"Artificial butter flavouring," Hunter explained. "So what happened?"

"Just a giant pig," Shane frowned, "The usual."

"What happened with you guys?" Dustin smirked, "How did you end up in the bucket?"

"We have no idea," Blake shrugged. He motioned to Kelly. "How is she?"

"She's out," Dustin explained, powering down, "I'll take her back."

"You guys might want to clean off," Tori laughed.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Dustin held the door open for Kelly, letting her walk back into the store.

"Hey," he called before letting her go off, "Thanks for that."

"For what?" Kelly asked, running her hand through her hair to get as much of the butter out as she could.

"For pretending to pass out," Dustin smiled, "I don't know what the brothers would have done to get out otherwise."

Kelly nodded, "Its fine. I figured they wouldn't morph or use their powers in front of me. And I got to pull Hunter's hair, so I guess it's still a winning situation for me."

"You know, if they found out I told you I would be toast!" Dustin laughed. "Tori used her powers to go from the demo to the theatre, and got into huge trouble."

"Really?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms, "That's what she was doing?"

Dustin nodded, "She was ninja streaking. It wasn't fun watching her getting yelled at. If Sensei finds out I spilled..."

Kelly smiled, "Dustin, you know I won't rat you out. You're secret's safe with me."

"I know," Dustin said, "But... if this keeps happening... you can't keep pretending to get hurt."

"It'll be fine, Dustin," Kelly laughed. "Now can you please go away? I need to wash the Hunter off me."

Dustin smirked and pointed to Kelly's face, "Okay, and while you're at it, you have a little bit of butter right..."

Kelly swatted his hand away, "Just go find your friends."

Dustin smiled, closing the door behind Kelly as she went upstairs to go shower. Just as she reached the stairs, she heard a knock on the door. She groaned, turning around to see who it was.

"We're closed!" she called out, before seeing Hunter on the other side of the glass. "That goes for you too."

Hunter pointed to the lock, "I just want to explain..."

"Last time I unlocked the door for you, you robbed me," Kelly frowned.

"Dustin told me you were feeling better," Hunter said.

"I won't until I shower," Kelly told him as she turned away. Hunter tapped on the glass again.

"If you have any questions about what happened in the bucket..."

Kelly turned back, "What are you talking about?" she frowned.

"Huh?" Hunter asked.

"What bucket?" Kelly asked. "Last thing I remember I was watching the movie with you guys when this giant pig attacked the theatre. He sprayed this stuff everywhere and I we all got hit. Then I guess I black out or something, because Dustin was driving me home.

"What...? Really?" Hunter looked over at Kelly curiously.

Kelly nodded, "Yeah. Now if you wouldn't mind getting lost. I kinda wanna wash this stuff out of my hair."

"Okay," Hunter nodded, still a little unsure about Kelly story, but he figured Dustin _explained_ everything to her before dropping her off. He turned to leave before remembering their _date._ "Hey, about today..."

"Never again, Bradley," Kelly called out, "The only reason I was there was to make sure your little brother didn't make moves on Tori."

"I just wanted to say thanks for coming," Hunter told her. "I would have been totally awkward if it was just the three of us."

"Tori wasn't there for most of it," Kelly said, "So you two would have been fine."

"Well, thanks," Hunter smiled before turning away. Kelly rolled her eyes but watched him leave.

When he was gone, she turned back to the stairs but a thought hit her. If Tori and Blake were on a date... did that mean she and Hunter were on one as well?

"I really need to get the Hunter off me," Kelly said, shuttering at the thought of Hunter. Without another thought, she ran up the stairs, slipping and sliding on her way and hopped into the shower.


	11. Talking Guinea Pig

It was happening again. A monster was attacking the city. Kelly was watching this on the little portal TV Dustin snuck out of Ninja Ops for her. Now that she knew who the Rangers were, she worried about their safety a lot more. To ease her worry (or increase it depending on how the battles were going), Dustin had given her the monitor so she could be a part of the action. Of course, no one aside from Dustin knew about it.

Kelly was watching closely as the Rangers arrived on scene, stealing the orb the monster was holding. Shane, who was the Red Ranger, had it in his hands and started to run. The monster didn't seem to like this. He blasted Shane, causing him to stumble over.

Shane rolled back onto his feet, pulling out a blaster and shooting at the monster, but before anything could happen, the monster disappeared, only to suddenly reappear behind him and knock him down.

"_Shane, come in!" _Kelly heard. She knew this voice was coming from Ninja Ops and the Rangers could hear it through the morpher. _"You've got to conserve energy."_

"_Easier said than done,"_ Shane said.

The monster approached Shane, holding his hands out, _"Give that back to me."_

Shane clutched onto the ball, getting back to his feet, _"I'm taking my ball and going home!"_

Suddenly, they both disappeared, as well as the other Rangers. Kelly frowned, tapping the side of her screen.

"Where are they?" she asked herself, hoping for the best.

Then, just like that, they all reappeared again, out of breath. Kelly held her own breath as they started to drop. She could hear them all complaining about a lack of energy, giving Kelly the indication that something was seriously wrong. They were a group of teenage kids and Hunter. If anything, they had an excess of energy.

In the air, the large face of the monster appeared, and from his eyes shot out lighting, striking the Rangers. Kelly bit her nails as she watched her friends twist around in pain.

The monster appeared again, making his way over to the Rangers.

"_Now, for the last time,"_ he said, _"give that back!"_

"_Let me get this straight," _Shane said, slowly getting to his feet, _"We're just supposed to hand this over? With all our powers in it? That's never going to happen."_

"All their powers?" Kelly frowned as it dawned on her. The Rangers had their energy taken from them. That must have been in the ball. With their energy gone, they didn't stand a chance.

Kelly looked back down at the screen in time to catch the end of the Megazord fight. The Rangers were being ejected from their cockpits and thrown to the ground, landing in a heap. Kelly didn't like this, and she couldn't just stand around while they took a beating.

Kelly dropped the screen back onto her desk and ran for the door just as a wave of energy hit the city. Kelly saw it seconds before it hit and ducked behind the row of bikes, keeping low to the ground. She watched the wave pass over her head, hitting the bikes and moving around them, like water.

When it passed her, Kelly got to her feet. She ran out the door, hoping to find the Rangers. She needed to help in some way, though she didn't exactly know how.

She wasn't afraid of getting involved in the fight. After Dustin told her the secret, he taught her a few moves she could use in case something like this were to happen. He thought she needed to be able to defend herself in case the Rangers weren't able to. Surely if she needed to, she could be a distraction for the monster. Once she got that ball in her hands, it would be like playing a sport, and Kelly was good at sports. The only difference would be that her opponent was a very dangerous energy sucking monster.

But when she stepped outside, Kelly saw the world was frozen. She stopped in her tracks and frowned.

"What the hell?" she said, before feeling something funny. She looked down at her hands and saw they were disappearing slowly.

Suddenly, she found herself in a room, looking a lot like a fancy cave. She looked around and spotted Blake, Tori, Hunter, Shane and Dustin, all dressed in their black Ninja uniforms. They were standing for a moment, before dropping suddenly.

"What's the deal?" Blake asked weakly.

"I feel so weak," Hunter commented.

"Save your energy Rangers," a guinea pig in the corner said. Kelly couldn't help but wonder how he was speaking. However, she knew she couldn't be seen. She pulled away, into the staircase just as the guinea pig turned and gazed in her direction. Kelly didn't know if he saw her or not, but wasn't willing to find out.

The guinea pig continued to speak, "I have engaged Cam's teleportation system to bring you to safety for now."

"Where is Cam?" Tori asked.

"He has embarked upon a journey that could very well determine the fate of the world as we know it."

"So, dude, what does that mean?" Dustin frowned. The guinea pig jumped from the rather large computer and over to the table, where the others had all gathered lazily.

"Cam has gone back in time to get help," he explained. "But if he is not returned before time resumes I fear there will be nothing to prevent Madtropolis from destroying our planet."

Kelly gasped instinctively, forgetting for a moment she wasn't supposed to be heard. All heads turned around quickly, afraid there had been a breach.

Knowing the Rangers had no energy to fight, the guinea pig walked over to the end of the table.

Kelly slowly pulled out of the shadows of the staircase, revealing herself before this strange talking guinea pig attacked. It was the Ranger's turn to gasp.

"Kelly?" Shane frowned, trying to get up. Kelly held her hand up, letting him know he didn't have to put in the effort.

"Kelly, we can explain..." Tori started, but Kelly shook her head. She looked over to Dustin, who lowered his head.

"Guys..."

"I don't know how I got here," Kelly said, rather honestly. She knew where she was and who her friends really were, but she had no idea how she wound up in their headquarters. "One minute I was in the store and the next there was this giant wave of something coming towards me. I jumped out of the way and I missed it. All of a sudden, I'm... here."

Dustin frowned, looking up at Kelly. She nodded and gave him a small smile. Even now that the cat was out of the bag, she wasn't going to rat him out.

"How did this happen?" Blake asked, looking to the guinea pig. The little creature shook his head.

"She must not have been frozen in time like everyone else," the guinea pig said. "When I teleported you here, she must have been pulled along as well, because she wasn't trapped in time."

"That raises more questions than answers," Kelly frowned.

"I agree with her," Dustin nodded, raising his hand weakly.

Kelly walked over to her friends, placing a hand on Blake and Shane's shoulders, "What happened to you guys? You look out of it."

"We're just a little winded," Hunter explained. Kelly frowned.

"That's not a little winded," she said, "You forget, I'm your coach. I've seen you when you were a lot winded. You guys look like you're about to drop dead."

"We feel that way," Shane nodded. He turned his head to the guinea pig, "Should we just tell her?"

"I don't see the harm," the guinea pig nodded.

"I do," Hunter grumbled. Kelly frowned, kicking him in the shin. "Dude, what was that for?"

Kelly shrugged, "I felt like it."

"Alright, Kel," Dustin explained, pushing himself to his feet, "I think it's best if we tell you. You might wanna sit down."

Kelly looked to the table and cushions and saw they were all taken. She turned to Dustin and frowned. He looked as well, realising the problem.

"Okay, well don't say I didn't warn you," he told her. He stepped over to her carefully, pretending to stumble over. Kelly caught him, holding him up. As she steadied him again, he whispered in her ear, "Act like you did when I first told you."

She nodded softly, keeping her hand close to Dustin for support, in case he fell over again. Dustin took a deep breath.

"Remember all those times you passed out, and woke up thinking you saw the Power Rangers?" Dustin started. Kelly nodded and looked around the room curiously.

"You don't mean...?"

Dustin nodded, "Well, when we said you were wrong, we were lying."

Kelly frowned and pulled away from Dustin. "What...?"

"Dustin and I are the two Rangers you saw the other day," Shane explained, looking up at his friend. "When we told you your head injury was making you see things... we lied."

"You... you lied?" Kelly asked, tears forming in her eyes. Dustin pulled away slightly, a little surprised at her acting skills.

"We're really sorry," Tori added, "But... this isn't a little secret..."

"How the hell could you do this?" Kelly screamed, glaring at Tori especially, who had really been the one to convince her she was sick. When she was staying with Tori and her mom, Tori had constantly been denying Kelly's _hallucinations_. "I really thought I was sick."

"Oh, and by the way," Hunter added, "Tori stole from Storm Chargers, not me."

Tori turned to the Crimson Ranger and growled. Hunter pulled away slightly, realising this wasn't the best time.

"Wait..." Kelly paused, moving her gaze from Tori, to Hunter, then back to Tori. Of course, she knew all this already, but if she was going to keep Dustin's secret, she had to be convincing. They had to believe she was hearing this for the first time. Kelly's stare rested on Tori, "You stole the money?"

Tori nodded, slowing getting to her feet. She stumbled over to a set of clothes, folded in the corner. She grabbed her pair of jeans and reached into the pocket, pulling out some money.

"This is it," she whispered meekly, "All the money's here..."

"Why?" Kelly asked, glaring at Tori with so much hate that the Blue Ranger was beginning to tear up. Kelly couldn't stand how much she was hurting Tori and the rest of the team, but she knew she had to do it.

"We had to cover for Hunter," Tori said, "He really did knock you out and drag you into the forest. He kidnapped you and Sensei and he's hurt your back with his thunder staff. But you weren't allowed to know."

"We had to come up with a story that would be believable," Shane cut in. "Hunter trashing the store was believable, but if the store was still all clean, you wouldn't believe us. So Tori and I messed it up and she took the money to frame Hunter."

"Do you like me now?" Hunter asked his boss. Kelly turned and glared.

"You're still in the wrong, blondie," she said. She looked back at Shane and Tori, "Why didn't you guys just tell me?"

"We couldn't," Dustin explained. "We had to protect you. The less you know, the safer you'll be."

"I hope you understand this, Kelly," the guinea pig said, "But the Rangers needed to keep their identities secret."

Kelly took a deep breath, "I... I..."

"We're really sorry, Kel," Shane said. He gestured to the entire team, "We all are. If we didn't care about you so much, we wouldn't have done any of this. You know you're like, the best boss-friend in the world."

Kelly smiled, "I guess I can't blame you guys. But there's one condition."

"What's that?" Blake asked.

"Next time you guys need help, let me know," Kelly said. "I was watching you guys fight on the... news. That monster has your energy, doesn't he?"

Dustin pointed to the ball that was sitting on the table, "We got it back," he said, "But we can't get it open."

"And if we can't open it, we can't find the energy to fight," Tori added.

Kelly knelt down before her friends, "You know, a few years back my dad coached a few sports' teams. I was always there, watching the games."

"We know," Shane nodded, "You're like the nerd of the jock world."

"Hey, this nerd knows how you guys can get back out on the field without your energy," Kelly smirked. "When it got to the end of the game, the teams would always be exhausted, especially if they were short-handed. My dad would always tell them, the best thing to do would be to work together."

"Didn't we already have this lesson?" Dustin frowned, looking over to Shane.

"I believe Kelly has a point," the guinea pig smiled.

"I've watched you guys on the news from the start. When you fight, you all seem to go all out, then back away so someone else can have a go. Before you know it, you're all exhausted. It's worked before, but you can't keep doing it."

"So, what?" Hunter frowned, "Are you saying we need more stamina."

"Shut up and let me finish," Kelly snapped. Even after everything was cleared up (publicly of course, she still seemed to hold some resentment against Hunter that he couldn't understand). "If you guys work together, and fight five against one, instead of five one on one plays, you'll do more damage and waste less energy."

"So, fight together?" Shane asked.

Kelly nodded, "Like, you go in for an attack and start it off, but you let Blake finish it. The monster won't know what hit it, and you still have more energy to go."

"What about the ball?" Tori asked, "We need it open. We can't keep living without energy."

"We'll figure that out later, Rangers," the guinea pig said, "For now, let's concentrate of defeating Madtropolis."

The Rangers nodded and looked down at their hands, noticing they were slowly fading away. Kelly noticed the same as she looked down at herself.

"What's going on?"

"Time is resuming its true course," the guinea pig explained to the team. "You will all be returned to where you were the moment time stopped."

"Okay..." Kelly frowned, "I just have one question. What are you?"

"Dude, that's Sensei," Dustin smiled.

"He's a guinea pig."

"Long story," Dustin laughed before disappearing completely.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

After Kelly appeared back at Storm Chargers, she could hear the TV screen Dustin gave her going off loudly. She six more monsters appearing and the Rangers were on it. She noticed a new Ranger and smiled, figuring it must have been the person everyone had been talking about back at the base, Cam.

With a new Ranger, and the five other Rangers' power back (the first monster had been defeated before Kelly could walk into the store), Kelly was confident they were going to be okay.

When the battles were over and people were starting to come onto the streets again, Kelly heard the door opening. She looked up and saw Tori walking in, with her head lowered. She could barely see Tori biting her lower lip, and the blue Ranger was playing with her hands nervously.

Kelly approached her, "Tori, are you okay?"

Tori shook her head and pulled out the money from her pockets. Kelly didn't have time to take it back when she was teleported away from Ninja Ops.

"Here," Tori whispered, handing her friend the money and quickly turning to run away. Kelly grabbed onto her arm, holding her back.

"Hey," she called, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Tori said, never bothering to turn around.

"Is this about the money?" Kelly asked. She laid the money on the helmet rack and grabbed her friend with both hands, spinning her around. As she did, she saw tears in Tori's eyes, "Hey, it's okay... I understand..."

"It was still stolen," Tori whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You gave it back," Kelly said, "And you did it to protect me. How can I be mad at that?"

"I still shouldn't have done it," Tori tried to pull away, but Kelly held onto her arms tight.

"Don't worry about it," she told the small girl. "I know you aren't the kind of person who steals."

"But I stole from you."

"Which means I won't press charges," Kelly laughed. She pulled her friend into a hug, "It's okay, Tori."

"I feel really bad about this whole thing," Tori admitted, "Lying to you, stealing, running off... you were nothing but nice to us and we all blew you off without any reasons why."

"It's not like you had a choice," Kelly shrugged. "Just, promise me one thing, and you'll be totally off the hook."

"What's that?" Tori asked.

"Be careful out there," Kelly laughed. "You're fighting with my only three employees. They need to stay in shape for when they come back to work."

Tori laughed, "We'll be careful. I promise."

"Good," Kelly nodded, "Now I saw you got a new Ranger. Go have fun and celebrate. But tell Dustin, Blake and especially Hunter not to party too hard. They're opening the story tomorrow."

Tori was about to leave when she heard this. She turned around with a knowing smirk.

"You really hate Hunter, don't you?" she asked. Kelly crossed her arms.

"What gave it away?"

"The bickering," she laughed, "But the way you always mention him, or notice him... It's giving off some signals."

"That I really hate him."

Tori smirked. Kelly frowned.

"What?"

Tori shrugged, "Maybe I'm wrong..."

"Tori..." Kelly said cautiously.

"I mean, I may be wrong about it, but..."

"Don't say it."

"If it isn't true, then how do you know what I'm getting at?"

"Victoria Hanson!" Kelly screamed, and Tori took off running. Kelly grabbed the money, stuffing it in her pockets for safe keeping before taking off after the younger girl. "I swear..."


	12. The New Green

Kelly was helping Tori with her homework when Blake showed up, holding a bottle in his hands. Kelly decided to leave them alone as she went to deal with a customer.

"Yo, Tori, what's up?" Blake called, waving to Kelly as she walked by.

"Huge test next week," Tori groaned. She spotted the bottle in Blake's hands, "What's that?"

"We just got some new samples in for the sports cologne for girls," Blake said, holding out the bottle, "I thought, maybe, you would want to try it."

Tori smiled, grabbing the bottle. She pulled off the cap and sniffed it. Her face twisted in disgust.

"Well, um... it really smells..." she paused, "Great."

"So, aren't you going to try it?" Blake asked. Tori shrugged.

"Yeah... sure..."

Blake took the bottle from her and began spraying it everywhere. Tori pulled away, but he didn't let go.

"Um, I really don't like to wear too much," Tori said.

"Blake! Can you give me a hand," Kelly called, holding up a jacket. She motioned to the customer who wanted to purchase it. Blake nodded running back to the counter.

Kelly walked back over the couches, holding her nose.

"Is that the cologne?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tori nodded.

Dustin walked by the girls when he got a whiff. He turned to the girls and frowned.

"It smells like my grandpa's feet in here," he said, holding his nose.

"Your grandfather's been dead ten years," Tori frowned.

"Exactly," Dustin nodded, moving away.

Kelly sighed, moving away from Tori, "I'm sorry, but I can't sit near you."

"That's fine," Tori said, closing her books, "We're going to go pick up Cam and spend a little time on the beach."

Kelly pushed her friend away, "Go! Get out before you chase away customers."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly was busy running the shop on her own when suddenly her friends walked in. Dustin, Hunter and Blake walked over to the counter, bringing another man with them.

"Yo, Kel. Do you have any spare equipment in the back?" Dustin called. Hunter brought the new member forward.

"Our man in Green here would like to try motocross," he said.

Kelly nodded, pointing to the back room. While the boys were busy getting the new member ready for his first run on the track, Shane and Tori stayed behind, each with a very angry look on their faces.

Kelly finished with her customer and looked to her friends, "What's wrong."

Shane pointed to the backroom, "That!"

"Hunter?" Kelly asked, "I know. I was thinking of firing him..."

"Not that," Tori frowned. "Meet Cam."

"That's Cam?" Kelly turned around to get a good look at the boy. He looked nothing like she imagined from the information Dustin gave her of him being the technical genius behind the Ranger technology and never leaving home. She had pictured a scrawny, pale, sweater vest wearing, socially awkward kid. Not a man about Hunter's age dressed like the wannabe gangster.

"Yep," Shane nodded. "We invited him out, and he's totally been showing us up?"

"How so?" Kelly asked.

"It started at the skate park," Shane explained, "The dude's totally been holding out on us."

"Let me guess," Kelly smiled, "He's better than you?"

"And Tori!" Shane turned the attention over to his other friend, "You should see him in the water."

"I see the Green Ranger's making you all a little green," Kelly laughed. She noticed her friends weren't too happy. She leaned over the counter and smiled, "C'mon, guys. He's probably just having some fun. You're both still king and queen of your sports."

"Well, we're just waiting for him to get on the track," Tori smirked, "Those guys think Motocross is some big sport."

"It is," Kelly nodded.

"Blake said surfing was playing in the water," Tori frowned. Kelly shook her head.

"Of all people to put their foot in their mouth, I thought it would be Dustin."

"Wanna come watch with us?" Shane asked the red head. "See for yourself. The dude's on fire!"

Kelly checked the time. It was getting close to lunch, and with her being the only one on duty, she was going to have to close anyways. She flipped over the sign on the door and nodded.

"Okay, I'll check it out."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Cam was speeding around the track, passing every other racer, including Hunter, Blake and Dustin. Tori, Shane and Kelly watched in disbelief.

"That's him," Tori pointed out to Shane to the racer in green. Shane shook his head.

"Naw, that can't be Cam," he frowned.

"It's Cam! Look!" Tori laughed, "Look at that jump."

"Do you think Hunter would mind if I kicked him off the team?" Kelly asked, turning to her friends. "Cam's got some talent."

Cam pulled up behind Hunter, Blake and Dustin, just about to lap them. He rode, side by side with them, exchanging looks, before pulling ahead and crossing the finish line.

The three boys pulled up behind him, while the three in the crowd ran over to the finish line.

Dustin pulled off his helmet, "Okay, that was just wrong. Nobody rides like that first time out!"

"Next time, I'm going to really crack the throttle; see what this bad boy can do!"

"There's got to be something wrong with my bike," Blake frowned, checking the engine.

"Yeah, right," Tori nodded before laughing. Blake looked up at her, pouting. She simply turned away as the morphers went off.

Shane brought his morpher to his mouth, "Go for Shane."

_"The City plaza has been invaded. You must go there at once."_

Shane nodded to the team, "Let's go."

"Hey!" Cam called as the others started to run off, dumping their stuff with Kelly, "You're not seriously bailing right now? What about Moto number two?"

"Cam, what are you talking about?" Tori frowned, "Hello, aliens?"

"Okay, and that affects me how?" Cam asked. Kelly turned to look at his curiously.

"Even I know that answer."

"Dude, this is the part where we go save the world, remember?" Dustin stated.

"You know, I am so over this whole Ranger thing," Cam said.

"Quit playing around, Cam!" Shane called, waving his hand dismissively, "C'mon!"

"I know I can shave a few seconds off my lap time!"

Everyone remind silent and turned to Cam. He sighed deeply, "Alright, alright, everybody chill."

Kelly shook her head and she watched the Rangers go off to battle, Tori and Shane on foot, while the others rode their bikes. She followed slowly, having nowhere else to go.

When they reached the plaza, Kelly kept her distance. She knew if she got involved, she could mess up everything for the Rangers.

Suddenly, Cam broke away from the ground and went to check out the newest model of a car. Kelly rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You're kidding," she groaned.

Tori and Dustin decided to go face off against the monster, but she cut in front of them, holding out two empty bottles. Before anyone knew it, Tori and Dustin both turned into coloured liquid and were sucked inside the bottle.

Kelly frowned, this wasn't good. She saw the others quickly reacted, trying to shoot at the monster, but she laughed, dancing around. The monster pulled out three more bottles and opened them.

Instantly, Shane, Blake and Hunter were trapped inside.

"AHA!" the monster cried happily.

Believing she had all the Rangers, the monster disappeared. Kelly ran down the small hill over to Cam. She stepped beside him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"Why are you bagging on me?" Cam frowned as he rested on the ground, eating a hot-dog, "I didn't do anything."

"Exactly!" Kelly snapped. She waited for Cam to do something, anything, but he didn't move. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" Cam asked. Kelly screamed, turning away.

She decided to go on her own to find the Rangers. If Cam wasn't going to do it, someone needed to. With all the Rangers down, Blue Bay Harbour was vulnerable.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Making her way up to a perfume factory (figuring the perfume monster would be hiding there), she walked in slowly through the large round door. She looked around and knew she was in the right place. There was no one around, and it definitely smelt like Dustin after a race.

She continued to make her way through the factory, until she heard footsteps. Hoping they were her own, she stopped to see if they would.

When they didn't, she turned around slowly. To her surprise, Cam ran in.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her. Kelly frowned. She saw he was dressed differently, like the other Rangers when they were in their Ninja uniforms, but wasn't about to believe he was ready to help.

"What are you doing here?" she said.

"I'm here to help my friends," Cam answered her.

Kelly scoffed, "Why the change of heart?"

"Who are you?" Cam asked.

Kelly rolled her eyes, "You can't be serious!"

"Wait!" Cam said, examining Kelly closely, "You're Dustin's boss, the one he's always talking about."

"Duh," Kelly frowned.

"Dad told me you knew," Cam smiled.

"Of course I know," Kelly nodded. Cam laughed.

"About all this..."

"HEY!" Kelly heard from behind her. She jumped, turning around, "Dude! Why'd you bail on me like that?"

Kelly's eyes widened as Cam stood behind her. She looked over her shoulder, back at the other Cam.

"Not this again," she groaned, shutting her eyes.

The second Cam spotted the first and smiled, "Hey!"

He walked over to his twin so they were standing side by side. Kelly looked at them, rubbing her eyes.

The first Cam sighed, "He's a virtual replicate. I created him to help at Ninja Ops, but he kinda got out of control."

"Yeah, sorry about the whole tying you up in the closet thing, bro," the second Cam said, "I guess I got a little over-excited."

"I can fix that," Cam nodded, pulling out a small device. He pressed a few buttons before the second Cam disappeared.

Cam turned to Kelly, offering a hand, "I'm the real Cam."

"So, you're the real Green Ranger?" Kelly asked. He nodded. "I'm Kelly."

"So, Kelly," Cam said, looking around, "What brings you into the Ranger business."

The perfume Monster leaped into the scene and Cam dropped into a defensive pose. Kelly shook her head and pointed.

"That," she said. "She's got the others."

Cam nodded, "You go find the others. I'll keep her busy."

Kelly didn't say a word as she took off, running past the monster to find her friends. She heard Cam morphing behind her and hoped he would be strong enough to hold her off until she found the others.

She ran into a backroom and spotted a large, brown door. Hoping it was the right way, she pushed it open.

As she stepped inside, she could hear little screaming from the bottles.

"Kelly!" Dustin called, "Help us!"

"Whoa," Kelly said, looking around at all the bottles, "Which one are you."

"Think of our colours!" Shane called out.

Kelly nodded and searched the room for two reds, two blues and one yellow. She saw them, sitting on a shelf. She grabbed each one and unscrewed the top, on by one, until she hit the darker red one.

"I think I like you better like this," she smirked.

"KELLY!" Hunter called.

The other Rangers materialized around her, and Kelly sighed. She unscrewed the top, setting Hunter free.

"Seriously," Hunter frowned, "I'm starting to hate you too."

Kelly smirked, "Good."

"How did you find us?" Dustin asked his boss. Kelly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the main room of the factory, where Cam was still battling the monster.

The others arrived in time to help. Dustin pushed Kelly back.

"Stay out of sight," he told her. "We'll handle her."

The perfume monster quickly adapted herself to fighting six Rangers, getting them all off their feet.

Cam glared at her with hate before standing up. "Enough!" he cried out. "You picked the wrong Green Ranger to mess with!"

Kelly turned around when the ground shook, and saw Cam's uniform had changed. He pulled out a sabre, holding it at the ready.

She watched as Cam fought with incredible speed and power, keeping the monster at bay. He handled his sabre with great confidence.

Before long, the monster was gone. Kelly smirked before taking off, leaving the Rangers to return to base alone.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly carried with her a bag of equipment as she found Cam, Dustin and Tori on the track behind her store. Cam rode up beside his friends on a mini moto-bike (the one Kelly used for kids) and pulled off his helmet. He had a big smile on his face.

"So, what do you think? Pretty awesome, huh?" Dustin asked. Cam nodded.

"Now I know why you love this so much," he smiled. "I'm ready for another lap."

"Okay," Tori laughed. Cam started moving forward, but Kelly stood in the way.

"You're not really going to be a moto-head, are you?" she asked Cam. He shut down the bike and looked up at her.

"What do you mean?"

Kelly dropped the bag she was carrying and smiled, "You have a talent."

"Thanks."

"Not in motocross," Kelly laughed. "I meant with this."

Kelly reached into the rather large bag and pulled out a fencing sabre. She held it out for Cam.

"I saw the way you handled your sabre when you fought that ugly monster," she said, "I was pretty impressed."

"Fencing?" Cam asked her. Kelly nodded.

"Why not? Everyone has their sport. Shane's got skateboarding; Tori's got surfing; and Blake, Hunter, and Dustin have motocross. Now you have fencing."

"That's not extreme though, is it?" Cam asked. Kelly shook her head.

"It's not, but that doesn't mean you can't try it," Kelly offered. She picked up the bag and tossed it to Cam, "Try it out for a little while. If you don't like it, then I was wrong. If you do, let me know. I know this great coach."

Cam got off the small bike and grabbed the bag. He looked inside it and saw Kelly had all the equipment prepared. He decided to take her up on her offer.

"I'll let you know," he smiled, hoisting the bag on his shoulder.

Hunter walked over to his boss, placing his arm around her shoulder, "So, who's this great coach."

"My dad had me try a lot of sports before I settle with the extreme ones," Kelly laughed. She grabbed Hunter's hand by the fingers, pulling it off. "Touch me again, and you're fired."

"C'mon, Kelly! We've explained all this! I was under a spell!" Hunter called after her as she walked away.


	13. Love Struck

Just like every year, Storm Chargers had tried to host a cook-off. Every year, Storm Chargers would be turned down because it wasn't big enough, or well known. This year, however, was the year Kelly got her chance.

She was standing behind the counter set up for the event, with Tori helping her get all the ingredients and cooking tools ready. The boys walked into the store, a little confused as they looked around.

"Hey, what's this?" Shane asked. "Real Sport Pro Cook-Off?"

"Yeah," Tori nodded.

"Since when is cooking an action sport?"

"Real Sport Pro Drinks has chosen Storm Chargers to host a series of cooking demonstrations," Kelly explained.

Dustin pointed to the protein shakes, "Dude, this stuff is nasty! I don't care how you cook it."

"Stick around, you might be surprised," Tori said, giving the boys the look that told them she wasn't going to let them bag on cooking.

"Hey!" Cam smiled, walking into the store and joining Tori.

"Cam?" Shane laughed, surprised to see his green friend, "You're taking cooking?"

Dustin, Hunter and Blake laughed loudly, trying to hide their mocking faces away from Cam.

"Tori wanted someone to take a class with her, and dad said I should get out more," Cam shrugged, "So here I am."

"Yeah, but cooking class?" Shane chuckled.

Kelly walked to the doors, opening them to the public and letting a group of women walk in. Cam turned his head over to the girls and smirked.

The other boys noticed the women and their heads turned.

"Oh, hi..." they smiled pathetically.

Cam looked to Shane, "It has its advantages."

"Dude's got a point," Dustin admitted, getting into the crowd and finding his seat.

Tori walked over to Shane's seat as he mingled with the many women surrounding him. She leaned down before him.

"I thought cooking was lame."

Shane let out a laugh, eyeing each of the women, "What? Who said that? I mean, everyone should know how to cook."

Tori went back to her seat and glanced up at Kelly. The red head had seen this coming from a mile away. She had been to several Real Sports cook-offs before Storm Chargers had been accepted as host shop, and there were always a few teenage boys who discovered the advantages.

"Thanks for coming, everyone," Kelly smiled, looking out at the crowd, breaking up any conversations that were going on between the men and women. "Let's get started. Today's recipe, Storm Charger smoothies."

Kelly grabbed a handful of mixed fruit, dumping it into the blender, where she and Tori had already mixed most of the fruit. She put the lid on and started the blender.

"After blending the fruit, add the yogurt!" she called over the sound of the blender. She waited for the fruit to mix then added the yogurt. She mixed it again before dumping it all into several glasses and invited the few brave ones up to try.

The Rangers were first to the counter and they each grabbed a glass.

Blake was first to gulp his down.

"Whoa," he said, pulling the cup away from his lips. "That tasted weird."

Cam held his hand out, "Let me see." He took a swing from Blake's glass.

Tori finished her glass and frowned, "I don't know... It's not very sweet."

"Nothing will ever be as sweet as you," Cam smiled, eyeing Tori lovingly. Tori looked over at him with an odd look.

"Uh... thanks... I guess," she said. She turned over to Blake to get his opinion, but he was grinning strangely. "Blake, why are you grinning at me like a love-sick baboon?"

"Because he is one," Cam stated. Blake's grin dropped into a dangerous stare.

"HEY!"

"Go swing from a tree and let the humans have a conversation!" Cam snapped.

Blake grabbed a fistful of flower and shoved Cam back, getting his shoulder all white, "Back off, I saw her first."

Cam responded by grabbing a container of flour and throwing it on Blake.

Tori knew what was going to happen and pull away before it was called.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Shane screamed as everyone in Storm Chargers grabbed something to throw at someone else.

Kelly groaned, trying to break up the fight before her store was left in too bad of a state. She tried to rally up the boys and Tori to help her, but Shane, Dustin and Hunter were too busy throwing food around to notice her, and Blake, Tori and Cam had disappeared.

"Great," Kelly sighed, "Just great. Now not only will the store be a mess, but Real Sports will never think about hosting their cook-off here again."

Kelly pushed her way over to Hunter and grabbed his ear, "C'mon, you're going to help me."

"Ow!" Hunter called as he was pulled away, "What did I do?"

"You're the tallest and the loudest," Kelly told him, "Now yell."

"Yell?"

"Yell!" Kelly screamed.

"AHH!" Hunter cried loudly, gazing around the room nervously. Everyone heard his scream and stopped what they were doing to see what was going on.

When the room was quiet, Kelly growled. She walked over to the door, holding it open, "EVERBODY OUT!"

One by one, the customers left until Shane, Dustin and Hunter were the only ones left. They looked around the room, then over at Kelly.

"Oops," they all frowned.

"Just help me clean up," Kelly growled, tossing Hunter a mop, Shane a sponge and Blake a bucket. "By the way, this doesn't count as overtime."

"I guess that's fair," the boys sighed.

Kelly turned away and headed over to the couches to get an old rag. She saw the TV and figured she could maybe turn it on. A little something playing in the background would keep boredom to a minimum.

She flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch, but every channel had the same thing. It was a new show named _I love Lothor._

Kelly finally stopped, deciding to check it out.

"Yo, Kel!" Shane called when Kelly didn't come back to help, "You coming?"

Kelly shook her head, but found she couldn't get the TV show out of her head. Images of Lothor just kept popping up, and to her surprise, they weren't unwanted.

A message passed on the bottom of the screen and Kelly read it quickly. This episode was airing live from the television studio in Blue Bay Harbour. That was just down the street from Storm Chargers. If Kelly left now, she could make it there before the end of this episode and she could see Lothor.

"Actually!" Kelly called over to Shane as she ran to the backroom, finding a mirror to quickly fix up her hair, "I've just got to run an errand. You guys clean up, okay?"

Hunter frowned. In the few short months he's known Kelly, she was never one to miss out on cleaning her store and making sure it was all organised. She trusted the boys she worked with (even himself), but there was always something out of place when they did stock or cleaned up for the night.

He leaned his mop against a shelf and walked over to the back to check out what Kelly had been watching on TV. To his surprise, Lothor was the main character in the show and as far as he could tell the two supporting roles when to Marah and Kapri.

"Guys," he called, waving Dustin and Shane over. He pointed to the TV screen, where Lothor was hugging his two nieces.

"Um, dude, I check the YV listings every week, and I'm pretty sure this wasn't on there," Dustin said, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to the guys.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly didn't know why, but she was falling for Lothor. Ever since she saw him on TV, she couldn't stop thinking about him. It must have been the mask; the way she couldn't see him face kept him looking mysterious. Even if he was the man trying to take over the world, without seeing his face, no one could know his reason.

She made her way to the television studio, sneaking past a few Kalzacks until she got backstage. She watched Lothor finishing up a scene as a smile appeared on her lips.

He was so cute when he was acting.

When the director, who was a rat monster, called cut, another monster approached Lothor, whispering something about Rangers on the beach. Kelly didn't react to this, wanting only Lothor. When the monster walked away, and the director disappeared, Kelly ran over.

"Lothor!" she called, "I am such a huge fan!"

Lothor turned to her and smiled, "I'm flattered to here that."

He quickly turned to his nieces as they took off their costumes, "Who is she?"

"She's the Ranger's boss thingy," Marah explained. Kapri rolled her eyes at her sister.

"She owns the Storm Charger shop where the Rangers hang out," she said. "I've seen her talking to them. She's like the big sister."

"Family, huh?" Lothor smirked. He glanced over to Kelly, "So, you know the Rangers?"

Kelly nodded, "Yep."

Lothor wrapped his arm around Kelly's shoulder, pulling her in. He knew she was under the spell his monster, Mr. Ratwell created, and he was more than ready to take advantage of it.

"You know," he started, "I've always had a fascination for the Rangers. I've been a bit of a fan. But it's been so hard to find information on them."

Kelly smiled, "I know the Rangers..."

"I would love whoever could tell me a few things about those people I adore," Lothor smirked as he looked down at Kelly.

"You... you would?" Kelly asked.

Lothor nodded. His plan was working.

"Sir!" a monster called, walking over to the couple, breaking up their conversation, "It seems the Blue Ranger has escaped."

"What?" Lothor frowned, turning to the prop cactus, where Zurgane had tied up the blue Ranger, "Can't you aliens do anything right?"

"Sorry sir," Zurgane said, bowing. "She's at the beach with the other two Rangers."

"That makes three," Lothor nodded, "Where are the others?"

"I don't know."

Lothor growled, grabbing Kelly, "If you want to take over the world, you have to do it yourself."

He snapped his fingers, and before Kelly could ask questions, she was on the beach. Lothor had a hold on her, with one arm wrapped around her shoulders, almost in a choke hold, and the other wrapped around her waist, pressing her into him. Kelly smiled, leaning in close.

"Rangers!" Lothor called, come out, come out, wherever you are.

As if on cue, Red, Crimson and yellow Rangers appeared. They had been on their way to help Tori with Blake, Cam and Mr. Ratwell but stopped when they saw Lothor had Kelly.

"This isn't good," Shane said. Dustin looked around Lothor, where the other fight was going on.

"What do we do?" he asked as Mr. Ratwell shot his blaster and Tori took the hit for the two boys, who seemed to be too busy fighting each other to go after the monster. However, when Cam and Blake saw Tori was hurt, they put their differences aside.

"I say we help Kelly," Hunter said. "We'll deal with those guys later."

"Right," Shane and Dustin nodded.

Lothor chuckled, "Look who I have here with me."

"Let her go, Lothor," Hunter growled, taking a step closer. "She's not a part of this."

"On the contrary," Lothor smiled. "Your precious little friend told me she knows all about you Rangers, and she's more than ready to tell me, right... what's your name?"

Because she was under a spell, Kelly didn't seem bothered when Lothor didn't know her name. She only smiled and nodded.

"What did you do to her?" Dustin asked. "She's acting like those other love sick girls at your studio!"

Lothor smirked, snapping his fingers to call Mr. Ratwell to his command, but as he did so, there was a flash of light and a large explosion. He turned around to find the navy Ranger in a stance as his monster fell.

Lothor knew what this meant. If Mr. Ratwell was destroyed, his spell would end. Kelly would no longer be under his spell and given the chance, she would run.

A little heart rose up from Cam, Blake and Kelly's chest, popping in the air as everyone realised what was going on. Cam and Blake ignored the heart, running over to Tori, before spotting Lothor and their friends further down the beach.

"What's going on here?" they asked, helping Tori to her feet and coming over.

"I'm not going to waste my breath," Lothor said, holding Kelly tight now that she was squirming. He leaned over her shoulder, whispering, "I want that information."

"Let her go, Lothor," Hunter growled, "She's not a part of this."

"If she holds information, then she's just as valuable to me as any of you Rangers," Lothor smiled. "But don't worry, Rangers, you'll get her back."

Lothor took a step back, bringing Kelly with him, "But I can't guarantee it'll be alive."

With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared into this air. Hunter and Dustin ran forward, swiping at the air where Lothor and Kelly used to stand.

"Fuck!" Hunter shouted, kicking the sand as he powered down.

"What's going on?" Tori asked the boys as she limped over. Her battle to protect the spellbound Blake and Cam had taken a lot out of her. She could barely stand even with help from the boys. Her ribs were hurting her, her foot felt swollen and she didn't want to get think about the pain in her head and chest.

"Lothor has Kelly," Hunter explained. He turned to Shane and Dustin, "We need to get her back."

"Dude, we might wanna talk to Sensei, first," Dustin said. "I mean, we can't just go upon Lothor's ship..."

Dustin paused and turned to Cam, "Can we?"

"We have to get back to Ops," Cam said. "We'll figure out what to do from there."


	14. Deal with the Devil

"Sensei, we have a problem," Dustin called as he bolted down the stairs into Ninja Ops.

The guinea pig Sensei was standing on the computer desk, watching the screens when the Rangers came in. He turned around to face them. His nose was twitching.

"Indeed, we do," he nodded.

"Lothor has Kelly," Hunter said.

"I am aware of that," Sensei nodded as Cam came to the computer to run a scan. Blake and Shane set Tori down on the table.

"He would take her back to the ship," Tori whispered, catching everyone's attention. She shrugged, "Don't all villains take their prisoners back to their base?"

"Tori has a point," Shane nodded. "Lothor said he wanted information. The only safe place for him to get it, without interruptions from us, would be the ship."

Cam turned back in his chair. His fingers flew over the keyboard as the computer made beeped and the screen changed rapidly. No one had enough time to process what was happening until Cam turned back to them.

"Kelly's on the ship."

Shane nodded, "Then we're going to get her."

"No," Hunter said, crossing his arms over his chest. Shane turned to him, frowning deeply.

"No?"

"No."

The Red Ranger stepped over to the Crimson Ranger and glared up at the blonde.

"What do you mean no?"

"It's too dangerous," Blake said, taking position beside his brother. "Lothor's entire army is on that ship. If we're detected, we're all dead."

"Dude, that sounds a little grim," Dustin pointed out.

"It's true," Blake nodded. "We can't all go in."

"Only two of us should go," Hunter suggested.

"And who will that be?" Shane asked, still staring at Hunter. "Last time we sent you two back to Lothor's ship, you turned, remember?"

"Shane," Tori snapped, but clutched her middle section suddenly.

"Well, whoever it is, it won't be Tori," Dustin chuckled, touching his friend's shoulder. Tori glared up at him, so he explained, "Dude, you can barely sit up right without hurting yourself."

"I'll stay behind as well," Cam said. "While two of you leave I can take a look at Tori's injuries."

"They aren't that bad," Tori muttered. "They barely even... MOTHER FU..."

Dustin winced, pulling his finger away from her sides and stepping just out of arm's reach of the Blue Ranger. Tori glared sharply at him, sending silent threats his way with only her eyes.

Tori finally calmed down once the pain started to subside, "Okay... I see your point."

"So that leaves four of us to go," Shane said. "We're looking for two."

Dustin raised his hand in the air, "I would like to go."

"Really?" Hunter asked. Dustin nodded.

"I told Kelly our secret," he said. "If I hadn't of done that, she wouldn't be in this mess."

Hunter, Blake and Shane all seemed to agree. Dustin and Kelly were very close. He was always looking out for her, just as she was always protecting him. It was only natural for Dustin to want to go after her.

"I'll stay here," Blake offered. "Someone's going to have to keep Tori from committing murder while Cam fixes her up."

"I guess that leaves me to go," Hunter smirked. Shane frowned again, this time curiously. "I know the way around the ship. If we want to save Kelly, we'll have to do it quickly."

"I guess you're right," Shane nodded, backing down.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Lothor paced before Kelly, deep in thought. He had so many questions to ask her about the Rangers, he didn't know where to start. He was so excited about being so close to finding out how to destroy them he couldn't even think straight.

Kelly stood nervously. Surprisingly she was tied, giving her the freedom to try and run. However, she had no idea if she would survive a hand to hand combat if she did choose to risk it.

Finally, Lothor let out a breath and turned to Kelly.

"I want you to get me their powers," he smiled.

Kelly looked at him, "I thought you wanted to ask questions."

Lothor nodded, "I thought so too. But you're close to the Rangers. If anyone can get their powers, it will be you."

"And who says I'm going to get them?" Kelly asked, wondering how she was managing to muster up the courage to sound so brave, when she was really terrified.

"I do," Lothor smiled.

Kelly shook her head, "What are you going to do? Threaten me?"

"Quite the opposite," Lothor smirked. He wrapped his arm around Kelly's shoulders and led her over to his small computer screen. He touched the screen for a moment, bringing up an image of his plan.

"I had Zurgane create this for me," he explained. "It's my... inspiration."

Kelly stared closely at the image, trying to make sense of it. She could tell it was a city after it had been taken over by Lothor (made obvious by the banners celebrating him), but there was something about the street corner that seemed familiar.

"It's Storm Chargers!" Kelly cried out.

"Oh, is it?" Lothor smirked. Obviously he had known that, but he was playing it up for Kelly. "Well, that's too bad."

"What do you plan on doing?" Kelly asked. Storm Chargers was her baby. She would do almost anything for that store. Of course, she would gladly let it burn down if it meant saving the world, but if she could protect it, she would.

"World domination," Lothor said.

Kelly rolled her eyes, "Aside from that."

Lothor smiled as he took a seat on his chair, leaving Kelly standing on her own before him. He leaned forward, grinning madly.

"If you want to kill a Ranger, they need to be morphed," he said.

"If you hurt them..."

"If you agree to do as I say," Lothor interrupted, holding his hand up, "I won't kill your friends. I'll simply take away their powers."

Kelly frowned. She didn't understand what that meant. She didn't know how the Ranger powers worked and therefore didn't know how to destroy them.

"You see," Lothor started, "if I kill one of your friend, when they aren't morphed, you simply need to find another Ranger and give him the powers. In the end, I'll still be fighting six Rangers."

"So?" Kelly asked.

"So, to kill a Ranger, I need to destroy the power source."

"The morpher?" Kelly asked.

"Exactly!" Lothor smiled, sitting back in his chair. "So this is my offer..."

Lothor pointed back to the screen. Kelly turned to face it and saw a short video of the Rangers in a fight against Lothor. Again, it had to of been created by Zurgane, because Lothor was winning. Suddenly, the frame froze.

"When it comes down to it, or rather, when I win, I can choose to spare the lives of your friends and destroy only their morphers," Lothor explained. "This leaves me with the ultimate power and the power to take over the world."

Kelly frowned, "Or..."

"Or..."

The video started again, and Kelly watched the horrific death of Shane, Dustin, Tori, Cam, Blake and Hunter. She gasped loudly, turning away from the screen to keep from witnessing their death, even if it was fake.

Lothor stood up from his chair stepping down the few stairs as he approached Kelly.

"Listen, world domination isn't fun if you have no one to rule over," he said. "I plan on keeping most of the population alive. If you choose, your friends can keep their pathetic lives."

"What do I have to do?" Kelly asked. She figured it best to accept Lothor's offer until she could talk with the Rangers and figure this out.

"My dear," Lothor smiled, "What I want you to do is very simple..."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

"This way," Hunter whispered, waving over his shoulder for Dustin to follow as they walked carefully through the halls of Lothor's ship. The Crimson and Yellow Rangers had snuck in undetected and were slowly making their way to the front room, in hopes of finding Kelly and rescuing her.

When they boys turned the corner, they bumped into someone. Assuming it was an alien, they adopted a defensive stance.

"Shh!" Kelly whispered, turning to look over her shoulder. "It's just me."

"Kelly!" Dustin smiled, "Are you okay?"

Kelly nodded, touching the necklace around her neck. It was on pretty tight, much like a choker, and wasn't supposed to come off.

"I'm fine."

"Are you being watched?" Hunter asked, grabbing her and pulling her back around the corner for safety.

"Not exactly..."

"We better get out of here before anyone realises we're here," Dustin said. He grabbed his morpher and started fiddling around with it. "Cam told me this would be easy."

"It's the green button," Hunter groaned.

"I knew that," Dustin frowned. He pressed the green button and suddenly the three disappeared, leaving only a cloud of smoke behind and a _pop_ noise as evidence of their presence.

They appeared back in Ninja Ops, falling from the air and landing on the ground. The others around them jumped at their sudden arrival.

Quickly, Shane and Blake ran to help them up.

"That was fast," Shane said, pulling Dustin to his feet while Blake went to help his brother.

"It was easy, dude," Dustin nodded. "We walked in and Kelly was right there."

"Are you okay?" Tori asked. Kelly looked at her friend and chuckled slightly.

"I should be asking you that."

"It doesn't hurt that much," Tori protested.

Cam moved in with his finger, going for her middle section. Tori quickly swatted him away, hurting her ribs further. She clutched them painfully and turned to Kelly, "Only when I do that."

"How did you get out?" Shane asked Kelly curiously. It seemed a little suspicious that Lothor would want to take her, then just leave her to escape.

Kelly shrugged, "He... uh, underestimated me I guess. He did tie me up or chain me to anything. I asked him if I could leave for the bathroom and he let me go."

"Let's not question it," Tori smiled, pushing herself up with a little help from Blake. "I'm just glad you're back... and safe."

Kelly examined her friend and sighed. There was no way Tori was going to be able to go home to her mother with a bandage around her ribs and her ankle without raising suspicion or worry.

"C'mon," she offered, "You can stay at my place for tonight. Tell your mom it's a thank you for me crashing at your place."

Kelly held her hand out to grab Tori, helping her limp out of Ninja Ops. As she held her friend, she was sure to grab Tori's left wrist, touching the morpher and placing a small chip in position.

_If you tell them anything, I will find you and kill you,_ Kelly heard Lothor say in her head. She shook it quickly and walked away with Tori.

When the girls were gone, Shane turned to Sensei.

"We should be questioning it, shouldn't we?"

Sensei nodded, "I fear Lothor has a plan. Be sure you keep an eye on Kelly for the next couple of days."

The boys bowed slightly before leaving for their own homes.


	15. Microchip

Blake locked the door to Storm Chargers as the last customer walked out. He clapped his hands together and smiled as he turned around.

"Quitting time!" he called out. Looking to Hunter, he grinned, "So, we riding?"

"Can't bro," Hunter said, shaking his head, "I gotta meet Charlie."

"Oh, yeah," Blake nodded, "Your other little brother."

"There are more of you?" Dustin asked which caused Kelly's head to lift up and she groaned loudly.

"Not that kind of little brother," Hunter said, waving his hand dismissively. "I know what it's like to be without a father so I volunteered to help out after school, you know? Do stuff?"

Suddenly someone ran into the glass window, calling for the boys. Everyone looked up and saw Shane using his special key to get inside the store, holding up a magazine. At the same time, Tori limped out of the backroom after finishing up her homework for school. She was still staying at Kelly's place because her many injuries from the last battle against one of Lothor's aliens were very visible, and if her mother saw them she would freak out.

"Check it out!" Shane grinned. "Big Air's having a contest for the best Sport's Action video."

"Let's see?" Tori asked, grabbing the magazine to take a look. She turned the magazine around and read the back, where there was more information about the contest written down. "The best one minute video will be played on National Television during the next X-Games."

"I'm so going to win!" Dustin grinned, and even from where she was standing, Kelly could see his eyes were popping out of his head in excitement. She shook her head and groaned loudly. The last time a competition of this sort reached her employee's ears, it turned into a rather unpleasant week of cold stares because Dustin had forgotten to mail his tape and needed to project the blame on Kelly's crazy work scheduling.

"Uh, don't you mean you're so going to come second?" Shane asked, holding up two fingers.

"No, dude, I mean I'm going to win," Dustin chuckled nervously before Shane's intentions were clear to him. He looked up again at his best friend and laughed, "Oh, I get it! You're calling me out."

"I don't know how any of you are going to win anything without a video camera," Tori pointed out, causing all the boys to groan.

"Well, what about Dustin's?" Shane asked.

"If I remember correctly," Tori smirked, turning to Dustin, "You taped it to your helmet... right before running into that big oak tree."

"Yeah, but I got a cool shot," Dustin smiled. "You should see it! It's all like... AHH! and then BOUMP! and there's nothing..."

Dustin's excitement died into nervous laughter when he noticed that no one else was laughing with him. He looked back down at the magazine in his hands, hiding the red on his face.

Kelly walked over from behind the counter, hiding a small microchip on her finger. She approached the group with a big smile on her face as she placed her hand with the microchip on Dustin's arm, brushing just up against his morpher to put the microchip in place.

After getting back from Lothor's ship only a few days before, Kelly had been on a mission. She needed to place these small little microchips on the Rangers' morphers so Lothor could go through with his plan to take out the Rangers.

"I have a camera," she smiled.

Dustin and Shane turned to her with a smile before they exchanged looks. Suddenly, they rushed towards Kelly, bombarding her with their begging and forcing her to retreat into the back room. Tori rolled her eyes at the boys' nonsense before going to rescue her friend from the boys (and hopefully earn some extra video time) and Blake followed her closely.

"I have some conditions," Kelly called out over the boys' fighting while Hunter introduced himself to a woman and her son who walked into the store after hours.

"Okay, go for it," Dustin said, hopping up to sit on the back counter.

"No one touches my camera but me," Kelly said, "and everyone gets equal time on their video."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Shane was riding the ramp on the beach while Kelly held up her camera, capturing his every move. Tori, Dustin and Blake were sitting on the fence looking bored, waiting for their turn.

"One more!" Kelly called out as Shane's minute came to an end. He hopped off his board and walked over to Kelly. She gave him a smile, "I think I got some good shots."

"Better than what you got for Blake and Dustin?" Shane asked. Kelly rolled her eyes as his competitive spirit. She had shot some pretty good footage of Blake and Dustin riding on their dirt bikes, but that was only because she had done filming for motocross before. Shane was determined to win this competition and knew Kelly was going to have to get some really cool footage for him to beat his friends. "C'mon, just give me one more try! I know I can land the kick-flip to front side rail slide!"

Tori groaned, "Can we go now? I have to get into the water before the swell dies down."

Kelly scratched her head, "Maybe we should have done the water stuff first..."

"We haven't been here long!" Shane frowned "What about equal time?"

"We're not supposed to be here long," Kelly sighed, "The video's only supposed to be a minute."

Suddenly a beep echoed from Shane's morpher. Kelly reached into her pocket, sticking one of the microchips onto her finger as Shane brought his wrist up to his mouth.

"Go for Shane."

On the other end, Cam was trying to get a message through, but the morpher didn't seem to be working properly.

"I heard about something in the city..." Dustin frowned.

Kelly grabbed Shane's board, purposely touching his morpher to place the microchip as she did.

"You guys better go check it out," she said. "I'll be back at the shop."

"Great..." Tori groaned, rolling her eyes as she ran off. Kelly patted her friend on the back gently.

"I already have some footage of you from a little while ago," she said. "If need be, we can use that."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly hadn't been back at the store for long when Blake and Hunter walked back in. Blake slapped a hand down on Hunter's shoulder as he walked in.

"How's everything with you and Charlie?" he asked his brother.

"He won't even talk to me," Hunter frowned, walking by Kelly to lean against the back counter while she put away some of the clothes on the shelf. "I think I'm just going to bag it."

"Look, he lost his dad," Blake said. "Just give him some room, he'll come around."

"Dude, I'm trying."

"He'll let you know when he's ready. Just kick it with him until then."

"I thought I was supposed to be the older, wiser one," Hunter teased.

"You're still older!" Blake smirked, tapping his brother on the cheek. Hunter laughed, reaching over to punch his little brother playfully in the chest.

Kelly groaned, "You two do know you're supposed to be working."

"Sorry Kel," Blake laughed. "But there was the thing..."

"And now you're back," she said, putting the clothes on the rack before grabbing the boys by the wrist, attaching the microchip onto their morphers as she did.

She led them to the punch clock and left them there to sign in. However, just as expected their morphers went off.

"Sorry, Kel," Hunter smirked, "Duty calls."

"I so need to hire more help," Kelly groaned, watching them run out. When they did she felt her necklace burning. It was the necklace Lothor had placed around her neck tightly before he let her go. It was so he could keep an eye on her and make sure she did everything according to plan.

Kelly ran for the washroom and turned on the cold water, splashing it on her neck before looking in the mirror, where she saw Lothor looking at her. She let out a small scream and jumped backwards.

"I see almost all the microchips are in place," he said.

"What the hell?" Kelly asked, looking around, "How are you doing this?"

"I have my ways," Lothor shrugged. "So, the microchips..."

"I'm just missing Cam," Kelly said, "But he mostly stays at the Ranger base, and the Rangers don't want me to go there unless it's an emergency. It might take some time."

"Time is the one thing I don't have," Lothor growled.

"Well, too bad," Kelly said, rolling her eyes. Lothor frowned before Kelly's necklace started to burn again. "Ow! Hey, careful! If you leave a mark the Rangers will get suspicious of something."

"Find a way to put the microchip on my nephew's morpher," Lothor hissed. "I don't care how you do it."

"Fine," Kelly groaned, "Call off your monster or let the Rangers destroy it or something. I'll talk to Cam and get the microchip on."

"That's my girl," Lothor smirked, disappearing and turning the mirror back into a regular mirror. Kelly walked over to the TV, turning it on so she could follow the Rangers.

------Storm-Chargers-----

"Hey," Kelly smiled, hopping down the stairs to Ninja Ops after being invited over by Cam. When the battle was over (Lothor told his monster to lose against the Rangers), she called him up to ask him a favour. He had told her he was really busy, but invited her to stop by.

Kelly held in her hands the video camera, with footage of Dustin, Blake, Shane and Tori. Cam swirled around in his chair and smiled at her, spotting the camera.

"You need help editing?"

"Yes," Kelly nodded, "The guys are driving me crazy."

Cam took the camera and hooked it up to the computer so he could get started. Kelly, finding nothing better to do, decided to look around. She spotted Cam's fencing equipment in the corner.

"You've got some pretty good shots," Cam said from the computer.

"Thanks. You don't need to do..."

"Done," Cam smiled, popping the disk out and handing it to Kelly. She furrowed her brow and looked at him. He smirked, "I'm the computer guy, remember."

"Yeah," Kelly laughed, putting the disk in her bag. She pointed to the fencing equipment, "Been practicing?"

"Every day."

"Wanna show me what you can do?"

Cam nodded, picking up the bag to get changed into his uniform. As Kelly expected, he took off his Samurai amulet. He didn't want to damage it while playing around with a sword and it didn't fit properly under the protective gear.

He placed it down on the table beside Kelly, trusting she wouldn't lose it. While he turned around to get ready, Kelly grabbed the amulet and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a microchip and stuck it to the bottom, so no one would see it. When she put the amulet back down, Cam turned around and started showing off what he had learned. Kelly watched intently, impressed at his progress. It hadn't been long since she recommended he try it, and he had been teaching himself.

"Very nice," she smiled, clapping her hands, "Just watch out for that elbow. You want to keep it bent inwards."

"I've been trying, but it keeps popping out," Cam sighed, pulling off the helmet. Kelly smiled, grabbing her bag as she got up to leave.

"You're doing great," she encouraged him, "For a beginner, you're really on your way. Just keep practicing and it'll become natural."

"Thanks, Kel," Cam nodded.

Kelly smiled and turned to leave Ninja Ops. When she was out of the underground base she felt her necklace burning again. Groaning, she looked around for Lothor.

"Down here!" his voice called, and she looked down to find a puddle.

"Was it raining?" she asked.

"Don't mind it," he groaned, "Zurgane's set up many of these. Have you attacked all the microchips?"

"Yeah," Kelly nodded.

"Good."

"Can I take this off now?" Kelly asked, pulling on the necklace.

"If you do that, I won't know if you've betrayed me or not. You've already betrayed your friends."

"You made me!" Kelly shouted. "You threatened to kill them!"

Lothor shook his head and smiled, "Tsk, tsk, Kelly. Don't you know I had the intention to kill them all along?"

"You son of a..."

"And you can't tell your friend what you did."

"Why not?" Kelly growled.

"The microchip's been draining their power since they've been installed," Lothor explained. "First draws the energy away from the morpher, disabling it permanently so even my nephew can't fix it, then it drains the life force from the Rangers."

"So you're killing them slowly?"

"I would go check up on your friends if I were you," Lothor smirked, disappearing from the puddle. Kelly didn't waste any time, stepping in the puddle as she ran for Storm Chargers.


	16. The Necklace

Kelly ran, as fast as her legs would carry her, back to Storm Chargers. After she discovered Lothor had gone back on his word and her friends were in danger, she knew she needed to run back and let them know there was a problem. She couldn't tell them what the problem was exactly, because Lothor was still listening in thanks to the necklace he gave her, but she could at least, tell them to take off their morphers. She wasn't sure if that would work, but she did know that at least that would break the connection the microchip would have with their bodies.

She ran into the shop and saw Dustin sitting on the green couches, holding his head in his hands. She rushed over to him and knelt before the yellow Ranger.

"Dustin, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I'm just a little light headed. I think I just need a break."

"You can go upstairs," Kelly told him, helping him back to his feet. Take my couch upstairs and crash for a few hours. I'll watch the shop."

Dustin nodded. He wasn't going to argue with his boss giving him permission to sleep on the job. He was exhausted. He believed it was from the fight he just had with the random monsters and Kalzacks appearing. Hunter had told him that his little brother, Charlie, had somehow gotten his hands on Lothor's Personal Alien Manager (or PAM for short), and all the monsters and Kalzacks were his doing and that the blitz Lothor was sending down was actually not him.

This confused Dustin to no end and trying to understand what had been going on lately was making his brain hurt. A little rest would be all he needed to feel better.

Kelly waited until she heard the footsteps stop before she went upstairs. Dustin was usually fast asleep before his head hit his pillow. Carefully, she walked over to the couch and grabbed his left wrist. She unfastened the morpher and stuff it in her pocket, making sure it wasn't visible for the others.

"One Ranger down, five to go," Kelly said. She wanted to make sure she got all the morphers off before the microchip could drain their life force. To do that, she would have to take off the morphers in the same order she put on the chips.

Tori was the first person to get the microchip. When Kelly was helping her out of Ops, she put the chip on then. It had been a few days by now.

She had put the microchip on Dustin afterwards, and that had only been earlier in the day. If he was already starting to feel lightheaded...

Kelly rushed out of her house and ran for the stairs. When she got to the bottom, she bumped into Blake.

"Whoa," the navy Ranger laughed, steadying her before she fell over. "What's with the rush?"

"I... uh..." Kelly couldn't tell him the truth, but while he was in her way, she might as well take the morpher. "Cam. I just came back from Ninja Ops..."

"Why did you go to Ops?"

"Editing," Kelly said. She pulled out a disk from her pocket and handed it to Blake. "I was having trouble with the editing and called him. He was working on an upgrade for the morphers and told me to stop by."

"Cool," Blake nodded.

"He wants your morpher," Kelly said. She pulled out Dustin's to show Blake. "The upgrade's almost done and he wants to download it onto the morphers."

"You're taking it?" Blake frowned. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Cam's trying to get into Lothor's head," Kelly said. "Lothor would think you Rangers were stupid if you trusted a civilian with morphers. If there was a reason to transport the morphers, he would think one of you would do it."

Kelly held out her hand and waited for Blake to oblige. He sighed heavily, removing his morpher from his wrist and giving it to Kelly. If there was anyone he would trust with the morphers, aside from Cam, it would be Kelly.

"Don't lose it," he told her.

"I won't."

_Two down, four more to go,_ Kelly thought. Blake had been a bonus. He was one of the last to get the microchips, but seeing as he was right in front of her, Kelly decided to save his life now.

But she needed to get to Tori.

"Blake!" Kelly called. Blake turned around, "If you see Shane or Hunter, tell them to put their morphers in the backroom. I'll collect them later."

"What about Tor?"

"Where is she?" Kelly asked. "I'm on my way to tell her now."

"She went to the beach."

Kelly ran for the door, "Thanks!"

When she was gone, Shane and Hunter stepped out from the backroom to find Blake looking at her curiously. Hunter snuck up behind his brother, dropping his hands on his shoulders.

"Boo."

Blake jumped, "What the hell?"

"Where's she going?" Shane asked, motioning to the door.

"She's going to find Tori," Blake said. "She needs to collect our morphers for Cam. Apparently he's got an upgrade waiting for us."

"Well, why don't we just go drop them off for her?"

"Who's gonna watch the store?" Hunter asked. Shane and Blake turned to him and smirked. Hunter frowned, "I had to ask."

"Have fun, bro!" Blake smiled, patting his brother on the chest before taking off with Shane. Hunter rolled his eyes and gave his morpher to Blake.

"You owe me, dudes!" he called after the boys."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

"Why, of all places, would you go to the beach?" Kelly groaned inwardly as she pulled off her shoes. The sand was getting to her, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a beautiful day, and the reasons Tori would be at the beach were awkward, but Kelly could only imagine how tired Tori was.

She saw two surfers looking out at the ocean and ran over to them.

"Excuse me; have you see a girl anywhere?" she asked. "She's blonde, about... this tall..."

The men pointed down the beach, where several women were mingling with other men, or with their friends. Kelly sighed.

"She surfs."

"Dude," one of the boys said as he pointed to the water. "She totally just wiped out!"

"Total whoopsydangit!" the other surfer chuckled before high-fiving his friend. Kelly shook her head and sighed.

"In English, please. I don't have time to translate your idiotic way of life!"

"She fell, dude," the first surfer said, pointing to a wave that crashed on the shore. "She was trying to show off."

Kelly rolled her eyes, "Of course."

"We haven't seen her come up though, bra," the second surfer said. "She must still be out in the water."

Without thanking the surfers, Kelly took off, running along the shore to see if maybe the tide brought Tori to safety. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her best friend's form lying in the sand. At least she knew where her friend was. Now there was only a matter of if her friend was still alive.

"Tor!" Kelly called, approaching the blonde slowly. Tori stirred, holding her head as she sat up. When she spotted Kelly, she pulled away.

"Go away..." she whimpered.

"Tor, it's me," Kelly said, kneeling down.

"Kelly? Is that really you?" Tori asked, looking at her friend intensively.

"Yeah," Kelly nodded. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Tori nodded, but had to hold her head in her hands to keep from getting dizzy.

"I don't know."

Kelly helped her friend up and saw that her morpher was still on her wrist.

"How do you feel?"

"Wiped," Tori groaned. "I feel like I've been run over by a truck."

"I can imagine," Kelly nodded. "Kinda like when that skyscraper monster stole your energy?"

"Yeah."

"I thought so..." Kelly sighed.

Tori looked up at the red head with a curious frown, "How did you find me, anyways? Aren't you supposed to be at the shop?"

"The guys are covering for me. I'm running an errand for Cam..."

"_Tori, are you there?"_ Cam's voice echoed over her morpher.

Tori nodded, bringing her morpher to her mouth, "More or less. What's up Cam?"

"_The guys tell me Kelly went looking for you. If she finds you, don't give her your morpher."_

Kelly muttered a curse under her breath as she turned away. Tori gave her a funny look and frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"_She told them I was working on an upgrade for the morphers. It's a lie. Something's up. Get to Ninja Ops right away."_

"Okay, I just need to take care of a few things first," Tori said, glaring at Kelly before turning off her morpher. Kelly took a step back fearfully. Tori followed her. "You have three seconds to explain what's up. Three..."

"I can't," Kelly whispered. "I really can't tell you."

"Two..."

"Tori, you have to trust me."

"One..."

Kelly knew better than to stick around. Before Tori was done her countdown she took off, back in the direction of Storm Chargers. Toro groaned loudly, picking up her board and taking it away from the rising tide before dropping it in the sand and taking off after Kelly.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly needed to find somewhere to be safe, and the only place she could think of was Storm Chargers. Dustin wouldn't yet know about her plan to take the morphers away and would protect her against Tori. But she needed to tell them the truth before Tori could convince Dustin that she was a traitor. She needed to get the necklace off.

She ran into the back room and shut the door behind her, making sure to lock it before she went to the mirror. She knew that if Tori was determined to find her, she would simply hop over the back counter and run upstairs. She was sure she had a few minutes to figure this all out. With Tori weakened by the microchip, she wouldn't be able to keep up as well as she normally could.

She tried pulling on it, hoping the necklace would stretch of snap, but it held strong. Groaning loudly, she grabbed a knife and held it to her neck.

Dustin chose that moment to come downstairs after his nap. As soon as he saw Kelly holding a knife to her neck, he rushed over, pulling the sharp object out of her hand.

"Whoa, whoa," he frowned, "What's this about."

Kelly lowered her head.

Dustin grabbed Kelly's arm and sat her down on the chair. He knelt before her and smiled, "Whatever it is, you can tell me? Has Hunter driven you that far up the wall?"

Kelly took a deep breath. She knew the necklace was an audio device, and would pick up on anything she said, but it couldn't pick up on visual. She pointed to her necklace, praying Dustin would get the message.

"It's pretty," he said, "Is it new?"

Kelly nodded.

"Did you lose your voice or something?"

Kelly pointed to the necklace again. Dustin got the idea. Whatever she was trying to tell him, it had something to do with the necklace.

"Okay, okay... so it's new?" Kelly nodded. "When did you get it?"

Kelly pointed to the schedule calendar on her desk.

"That's the day Loth-"

Kelly jumped up and covered Dustin's hand with her mouth. He was close enough to the necklace that Lothor could hear what he was saying. If the villain had any idea what Kelly was doing, he would kill her for sure.

Dustin nodded and Kelly pulled her hand away, "Okay, I got this..."

Suddenly, Tori jumped over the back counter and landed behind Kelly. The red head jumped and hid behind Dustin.

"Dustin..."

"Tor, whatever it is, we have bigger problems."

"No, believe me, we don't."

Kelly whispered into Dustin's ear, "You can't say it. He'll hear you."

Dustin smirked and winked at his boss before approaching Tori. He pulled her aside and lowered his voice.

"You see her necklace? She's not wearing it by choice, dude."

Tori frowned, "Dustin, what the hell does that..."

"Remember when Lothor kidnapped her. I knew we got her back too easy."

Tori looked over at Kelly and the red head nodded.

"I need your morpher," Kelly said, holding her hand out, "Just, trust me..."

Tori looked from Dustin to Kelly before pulling her morpher off her wrist and handing it over. Kelly smiled. Now she had Blake's, Dustin's and Tori's. She laid all three out on the table and pulled off the microchips.

She showed the small devices to Tori and Dustin, hoping they could figure out on their own what they were.

"Dude, is that why I've been feeling so tired?" Dustin asked.

Kelly grabbed a paper and wrote something down. Why she hadn't thought of this before, she couldn't remember.

"What are these?" Tori asked, picking up a chip. Kelly handed her a letter.

_It's a microchip that's programmed to drain your Ranger powers and your life force. Lothor forced me to put it on. He put this necklace around my neck to make sure I didn't tell you guys. It takes audio, but no visual. I need to get it off before I can help you guys._

Dustin read the letter over Tori's shoulder and shrugged, "Well, why didn't you just tell us? We could have helped you out."

Kelly frowned. Dustin re-read the letter and nodded.

"Right, you're right... sorry. Here, let me get that..."

He grabbed the knife from earlier and held it up to Kelly's neck. She shut her eyes as he began to cut through whatever material the necklace was made out of.

"Dude, it's solid," Dustin groaned, still trying to cut through it.

"Everything has a weakness," Tori told him. "It's gotta come off somehow."

Dustin sighed, "The knife's barely been leaving a scratch."

Tori moved in closer and took a look at the necklace. "It's a special material... hold on..."

She touched it with her fingers as her hand glowed a light blue. Dustin frowned as he looked at his friend, but let her be. Finally, Tori pulled away.

"Try cutting it now," she said.

Dustin nodded and went in to cut. This time, one swipe was enough to tear it and the necklace fell off. Kelly breathed a huge sigh of relief and rubbed her neck.

Turning to Tori, Dustin frowned, "What the hell..."

"Cam told me Lothor was an earth ninja," Tori smirked. "He'll use tricks he learned in school. Two can play that game."

"I still don't get it, dude."

"Sensei told me that a lot of earth ninjas use their elements to create various objects. And what happens when you mix earth with water?"

"You get mud?"

Tori smirked, "The water will weaken it. I wasn't sure, but I figure I might as well try it. Lothor's used the same thing to make this necklace as most traditional earth ninjas used to use to make bowls, tools and houses many years ago. And, when you mix it with water, it gets weaker and breaks easily."

Kelly shook her head, "That's great, guys, but can we focus on the microchips. Cam, Shane and Hunter are still in danger!"

"We have to tell them what's going on," Tori nodded.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dustin asked, "Let's go!"


	17. Decisions

"Guys, will you settle down!" Cam groaned, rolling his eyes as he glared at Hunter, Blake and Shane.

"I'm sorry dude, but it's not every day we have to kick our boss' ass!" Blake frowned. "It's a little nerve-wracking."

"Whatever," Cam sighed. "I've been monitoring Kelly through her life signature..."

"What?" Hunter frowned.

"I have her microchipped," Cam explained. "I've got it turned on now. She's with Tori and Dustin and they're headed here."

"Okay, so once Kelly walks in, we grab her, okay?" Shane instructed.

"Easy for you to say," Hunter frowned, "She can't fire you!"

"She's working for Lothor!" Shane reminded his crimson friend. "She's the bad guy, remember?"

"Are you sure Tori and Dustin know to bring her here?" Blake asked, turning to Cam. He nodded.

"Tori knows and she would have passed the message onto Dustin."

There was a creak from the trapdoor opening up and the four boys fell silent. Tori was the first to walk in, using her hand to turn on the lights and the systems in the room. Cam, Hunter, Shane and Blake didn't jump out of their hiding spot just yet.

Dustin was next to walk in and he looked around.

"Dudes, are you here?" he called.

When Kelly stepped in, the boys jumped, grabbing her. Kelly screamed, until Shane placed his hand over her mouth. He looked over at his two best friends.

"Good job, guys."

Tori and Dustin stood wide eye, "Guys, what are you doing?"

"Let her go!" Dustin ordered.

"No way!" Hunter frowned. He pointed to Kelly, "There's something fishy going on with her. We want to know."

Tori rolled her eyes, "You're not going to get much information if she passes out."

Shane frowned and glanced down at Kelly. He realised his arm was wrapped around her neck and she could no longer breath. He released his grip slightly, allowing her the right to breathe, but still kept her from running off. Tori slapped him.

"Let her go."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Cam said.

"Dude, why not?" Dustin asked while following Cam as the Green Ranger walked to the computer. He picked up and scanner and turned back to Kelly. Shane dragged Kelly closer to the computer so Cam could perform a scan.

The Green Ranger held the scanner up and turned it on, but Dustin smacked it out of his hand. Cam glared at him.

"What was that for?"

"Dude, she's innocent!"

"She's..."

"Will you let us explain?" Tori snapped, smacking Shane on the arm again. Shane looked at her and slowly released his grip on Kelly. Tori grabbed her friend's arm, pulling her in close.

"Look, guys... it's not what you think," Dustin started his explanation while Shane rubbed his arm.

"Then what is it?" Blake asked.

Kelly took a deep breath, "I was working for Lothor."

"Aha!" Shane cried, but Tori smacked him in the arm again. He frowned, giving her a sad look, "Please stop doing that..."

"But I couldn't help it..."

"Were the cookies too tempting?" Hunter asked, interrupting Kelly. Tori made a move for him and he jumped back. She glared hatefully at him.

"Don't make me come over there."

Dustin held out his hand, "I need the morphers."

Cam turned to Shane and Hunter and shrugged.

"Why?"

"Trust me."

"You know I do, Dustin," Cam nodded. "I just can't trust her and what she might have done to you."

"Really?" Kelly asked. "Do you really think I can take on six ninjas?"

Cam, Hunter and Blake all shrugged. They hadn't known Kelly for very long. As far as they were concerned, she could have been working for Lothor from day one. Kelly could understand their hesitation; however, she couldn't believe Shane wasn't on her side. She turned back to him.

"Shane, seriously... we've known each other since before this whole Power Ranger deal..."

"Without our morphers we don't stand a chance against Lothor, Kelly," Shane said. "Why would I risk the fate of the world?"

"Fine, don't trust her," Dustin said. "But trust me, dude."

Shane took a deep breath, turning to Cam. He nodded.

"Fine, but one wrong move on her part, and we're going to assume the worst," he said as Cam placed the remaining three morphers into Dustin's hands. Dustin immediately turned around and handed them over to Kelly.

Seeing this, Shane lunged for Kelly, but Tori jumped in the way, holding him back. Kelly checked each of the morphers, finding the microchips were still in place. She pulled them all off and showed the boys. Upon seeing this, the boys calmed down.

"What is that?" Blake asked.

"Lothor had me put these on your morphers," Kelly explained. "I didn't know at the time, but they drained you of your Ranger Powers and your life forces..."

"Why the hell would you put these on then?" Shane asked.

"I didn't have a choice," Kelly said. "He put this necklace on me... I couldn't get it off. If I told you guys anything, or if I didn't do as I was told, he said he would kill me."

Blake shrugged, "Lothor's looking to kill you anyways. Why not tell us? We could have protected you."

"I'm sorry," Kelly sighed, "But I'm not trained for this! If someone tells me to do something or they'll kill me, I'm going to do what they ask! I don't want to die."

"But you could have killed us!"

"I didn't know that!" Kelly screamed, dropping to the ground and holding her head in her hand. "He lied to me, okay? He manipulated me and lied to me to try and kill you!"

Shane shook his head before turning to Dustin. He glared at his best friend and pointed to Kelly.

"This is why I didn't want anyone telling her our secret!" he shouted. Dustin frowned.

"Whoa, dude, are you saying this is my fault?"

"You're the one who told her in the first place," Shane nodded.

"I had to, dude!" Dustin shouted. "You weren't working with her every day! You weren't the one always lying on her! It wasn't easy letting her down all the time... after everything she's done for all of us!"

"Seriously?" Shane frowned. "Dustin, we had a secret!"

"We had to tell her! She appeared inside Ops, remember?"

Shane rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly, "I don't care..."

"I do!" Dustin yelled. "I know it's not ideal that she knows, but it's made all our lives easier!"

"We almost lost our lives..."

"She pulled through!" Dustin said, defending his friend. "Yeah, she made a mistake, but I would have done the same thing, Ranger or not! I'll be honest, dude, Lothor's an intimidating man!"

"You know what," Hunter said, interrupting the argument between the two Rangers, "We can fight about this until Marah and Kapri start singing about rainbows and flowers; it's not going to change anything."

Tori shuddered at Hunter's words. She had yet to tell the others, but when she went out surfing she had been hit by a wave and sent to what she hoped was another dimension. Everything there had been backwards. The Rangers were bad, and Lothor, Marah, Kapri and the monsters were all good... and singing.

"Kelly knows," Hunter continued, "We need to learn to work around that."

"He's right," Blake nodded. "We're all right... Kelly knowing makes her vulnerable, but it also helps us."

"How?" Shane asked.

"Well, first of all, she's not going to be fazed by alien attacks," Blake explained. "I think that's already a step up."

Kelly looked up from her spot on the ground, "Shane, I had no choice... but as soon as Lothor told me the chips were going to kill you... I did what I could."

"She found me, dude," Dustin added. "She found me and found a way to tell me everything."

"Shane," Tori called, grabbing his attention, "She put us in this position, but it's because of her that we're all safe now. And to be honest, I'm glad it was her Lothor used. If it had been a monster or any of us... maybe we wouldn't have been as lucky."

"I get that," Shane nodded. He looked down at Kelly, "I'm sorry... I just don't like the games Lothor's playing. His fight's with us, not you."

"We can handle this," Tori told her friend. "We'll just have to get used to the fact that Kelly knows, and Lothor knows about her."

"How do we go about that?" Blake asked. "We can't monitor her 24/7, even if Cam has her microchipped."

Kelly's eyes widened as she began searching her own body for a small chip. Cam shook his head.

"You won't be able to find it," he told her. "I had to get it under your skin so Lothor couldn't remove it easily."

"What the hell?" Kelly frowned, shoving away from the Green Ranger, "Whatever you guys do, make sure it doesn't involve him..."

Tori placed her hand on her friend's head gently, "I can move out of my mom's place."

"Are you sure?" Cam asked the blue Ranger. "What are you going to tell your mom?"

"I'll just tell her Kelly's been having fainting spells," Tori shrugged. "Every since my mom's heard she's been hit on the head, she's been asking if Kelly's okay. I'm sure she'll let me move in."

Tori looked up at her friend, "I can't ask you to do that..."

"Its fine," Tori nodded. "She'd rather I move in with you than with my dad, anyways."

Kelly shook her head, "No, you don't have to move out..."

"It's for the best," Tori said. "Blake and Hunter can't stay with you because you can't stand Hunter, and I doubt Shane or Dustin's moms would want them moving in with you. I'm the obvious choice."

"I'll be fine..."

Tori looked down, "If I live with you I can easily monitor you. If Lothor tries pulling this stunt again, I can detect a change in behaviour."

"I feel like a lab rat now," Kelly frowned, "Observation, probing with microchips, change in behaviour..."

"You know what I mean," Tori chuckled.

"What if your mom suggests I move in with you guys?" Kelly asked. "I doubt she's just going to let you leave."

"I'll tell her it's best for you to stay home. With my mom and my sister the place can get pretty noisy and I doubt that would be good for you head."

"So, we're going to fake my illness so you can ditch your family?" Kelly frowned.

"I think Tori's right," Shane said. Kelly nodded, realising the truth, but she didn't want Tori to move away from her family, just for her.

"Like I said, it's for the best," Tori nodded. "And anyways, if I move away from my mom and sister, Lothor won't be able to identify them like he did with you. It'll be safer for you and for them."

"If you say so," Kelly sighed.

Cam smiled before grabbing the morphers from Kelly, "Now that that's settled, I'm going to take these and make sure the microchips didn't do anything serious to the software. Last thing we need is six Rangers without powers. Until then, you guys should probably stay here so Lothor can't get to you."

"That's nice, but I think I should tell my mom I'm moving out," Tori said, already heading for the door, "Give my morpher to Kelly when you're done with it. I doubt this is going to be easy."

While everyone started to settle, Hunter sat down beside his boss.

"I just wanted to apologize," he told her. Kelly turned to look at him.

"Why?"

"Well, you already hate me."

"I don't blame you for this," Kelly said. "I mean, I could... but..."

"I just... I feel bad for not trusting you," Hunter sighed. "Lothor played me too. I know it's not easy when he starts his manipulation game. If anyone should have given you the benefit of the doubt, it should have been me and Blake."

Kelly shook her head, "Don't worry about it," she smiled, "I have plenty of other reasons to hate you."

"That's not what I was going for..." Hunter frowned, "But... good to know... I think."

Kelly smiled, nudging him gently, "But now that I'm suffering from fainting spells, I'm going to expect you work harder in the store. If Mrs. Hanson stops by the check up on me, we need to make this look real."

"Seriously?" Hunter frowned. "Why me? You don't even want me working there."

"Because, I like Dustin, and I like Blake. Why would I make them work harder without giving them a raise when I have you?"

Kelly got to her feet, wanting to join the others in their conversation around the table. Hunter stumbled as he went to follow her.

"C'mon, Kel! I don't even get a raise for this? What the hell did I do to you? Doesn't apologizing earn me any kind of bonus points? I was the only one who did it! Are you even listening to me anymore? Kelly!"


	18. Suspicions

_Author's Note: I am soooo sorry it took so long to update this. I got so carried away with Afterlife. This story isn't top priority, but I am totally determined to finishing it. Updates just won't be as frequent as Afterlife._

_But, here's the long overdue chapter to The Story Never Told. Enjoy!_

* * *

Kelly pressed her hand to her head and sighed loudly as she watched Hunter fall behind in the race because his engine had blown. Though she didn't like him much, she did still worry about his safety. She watched as Hunter pulled out of the race while Blake crossed the finish line, coming in first again.

The crimson Ranger groaned as he hopped off his bike and rolled it back to his station to take a look. Blake joined him right away and Kelly raced over.

"Sounded like the top end."

Hunter dropped his tools. "I let go on the last straight."

"Think you can rebuild it before the next moto?" Kelly asked. Hunter shook his head as he took another look.

"No way! I've never done one in less than five hours!"

Kelly shook her head, "I'm telling you guys, if you want to go pro you need someone to take care of your bikes."

"I thought that was your job," Hunter smirked. Kelly smacked him in the arm.

"I'm your coach," she frowned. "And anyways, you're lucky I'm taking care of you."

"You're taking care of me?"

"You're lucky I'm taking care of your brother."

Blake sighed, picking up the broken part of Hunter's engine, "It doesn't matter. There's not a mechanic in the world who could fix this thing in enough time."

"I- I'll give it a try," a man said nervously, clutching a rather large toolbox to his chest as he walked over, almost afraid of human contact.

"Do you think you can do it in less than two hours?" Hunter asked him.

"Sure," the man said, dropping his toolbox and taking a look at the engine. Blake shook his head.

"That's impossible, man. But hey, if you can do it... go for it!"

The man didn't seem to hear Blake as he got to work, moving rather quickly around the bike, replacing old parts and tightening up the engine to work smoothly.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

"_Riders are warming up for the next race!"_ the announced called as the riders pulled up to the starting gate. Blake sat on his bike with Kelly and Hunter standing by his side. The three were looking around nervously for the mechanic to return with Hunter's bike.

"Man, you're gonna miss it!" Blake said nervously.

"All set!" the mechanic smiled, rolling the bike over to Hunter. The crimson Ranger turned with a smile. "Oh, and I adjusted the flow on your pilot jet. You were running a bit rich!"

Hunter started the engine and a smile spread across his face. Kelly nodded.

"Sounds like you'll make moto number two," she said. While Hunter and Blake went to the starting gate, she turned to thank the mechanic, but he was gone.

"Weird..." she whispered before running to Blake and Hunter. "Look, you guys, I would love to stay but I need to get back to the shop. Let me know how you do."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Dustin was busy arranging the racks when a trophy fell into his view. Slightly startled, he turned around and saw the Bradley brothers grinning madly.

"First place!" Hunter smiled, holding the trophy with pride.

"Oh, dude! You did it!" Dustin cried happily.

"Yeah, man. He checked out on the second lap!" Blake said.

Dustin gave his crimson friend a high-five, "I would say you're getting faster!"

"That's part of it," Hunter nodded.

Kelly hopped down from her ladder, joining the boys once she saw Hunter holding a large trophy in his hands.

"That freaky guy really hooked you up, huh!" she heard Blake say as she took the trophy from Hunter to examine it.

"What freaky guy?" Dustin asked, slightly nervous.

"Skinny, kinda nerdy looking... Yeah, he did a whole rebuild in a couple hours" Blake described, but it brought a smile to Dustin's face.

"Yeah, that would be Perry," he said, slapping his hand down on Blake's shoulder as he took the trophy from Kelly to put up on display for customers to see. Though it belonged to Hunter, he was sponsored by Storm Chargers, and part of the deal was that Storm Chargers got to show off his winnings for a few weeks before he could take the trophy home. It helped business when customers saw Storm Chargers was helping athletes to victory.

"He's this total moto genius," Dustin continued.

"You know him?" Kelly frowned. "Where does he live? These guys need a mechanic on the team."

"Out of town in that creepy area down by the train tracks," Dustin said.

Kelly tapped Hunter and Blake, "You guys should go ask him to join."

Hunter furrowed his brow, "Maybe you should come with us," he said. "Freaky and creepy don't sound inviting."

"Aren't you guys the Power Rangers?" Kelly frowned. "Just last week you were all talking about how I needed to be protected. Now you're trying to hide behind me."

"We protect you from monsters, you go talk to creepy guys for us," Hunter shrugged. Kelly frowned.

"No... and even if I wanted to go on my own to Perry's house, I couldn't. I promised Tori I would help her move in today."

"She finally got her mom to agree?" Blake asked.

"I wouldn't say agree," Kelly frowned as Tori stepped into the store, carrying several bags over her shoulder and rolling her eyes. Kelly walked over to help her friend.

Tori was going to move into her place now that it was established that Kelly was a liability for the Rangers. Lothor knew of her close connection to the team, and Kelly was almost defenceless to stop him from trying anything. To protect her, someone needed to keep an eye on her at all times. The only way this was possible was for someone to move in. Being the only girl on the team, Tori had little choice but to move away from her mother's and in with one of her best friends.

Blake and Hunter walked by Kelly as she helped Tori get her bags into the bag room.

"We're going to find Perry," they told her. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

Kelly rolled her eyes and sighed as the brothers left. She turned to Dustin.

"Mind watching the store, if everyone's going to leave?"

"Where are you going?" Dustin asked her, already moving to the register. He couldn't say no to Kelly's request. After all the times he walked out on her mid-shift, he owed her.

"Getting Tori moved in," Kelly smiled, disappearing into the backroom. Tori had a bag slung over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs. Kelly grabbed the other two bags on the floor and followed her friend.

When they got to Kelly's loft Tori stopped and waited for Kelly to come up. She knew Kelly only had one bedroom, and it was too small to fit to beds. Though she didn't mind sleeping on a mat, she still wanted to know where to put all her stuff.

"I hope you don't mind the couch," Kelly told her, dropping the bags by the entrance. "I can't afford a second bed for you for a few months."

"That's fine," Tori nodded. "When we had to sleep at the Academy Sensei made us sleep on the floor."

Kelly laughed, "I don't feel so bad anymore."

She pointed to various places in the loft, "Okay, so food, shit and shower, TV, stairs, my room. Help yourself to anything here."

Tori smiled, "Sounds…"

She was interrupted when her morpher beeped. She looked at Kelly apologetically as she brought it to her mouth, "Yes?"

"_There's a monster in the city."_

Tori groaned, giving Kelly an exhausted look, "Monster in the city."

"I'll go cover for Dustin," Kelly grumbled, leading the way downstairs and replacing Dustin behind the front counter while the Rangers ran off. Kelly turned on the small TV that had been set up behind her as the news came on. She always kept it on this channel, so she could keep an eye out for her friends while they were off fighting Lothor's aliens.

With customers distracted by the news on the TV by the couches, Kelly could keep her full attention focused on her own little TV. She winced as this monster took out Shane, Tori, Dustin and Cam.

To her surprise, Blake and Hunter weren't there. She assumed it might take them a little longer to reach the monster attack if they had gone to find Perry, but they couldn't have been too far already.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the Thunder Brothers showed up on their bikes. They received directions from Shane, before disappearing inside the building. That was as far as Kelly could watch, because the reporters weren't about to run inside an old building with a monster lurking around.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

It was nearing the end of the day before Kelly received any kind of news from her friends. After their first battle with the monster, they had gone to Ninja Ops. They couldn't destroy the monster the first time around, and needed to analyse his powers on the super-computer to see if they could spot any weaknesses.

Because they hadn't come back, Kelly assumed they had been called back to battle the monster.

She was just headed upstairs when she felt something vibrating in her pocket. She pulled out the communicator the Rangers gave her and spoke into it.

"Yeah?"

"_Hunter's disappeared and we're all a little tied up," _Dustin's voice rang. _"Cyber Cam's got a lock on his position. Think you can go figure out where he is?"_

"When you say tied up…"

"_We're in a monster battle."_

"Just checking," Kelly chuckled. "I'm on my way… but I don't know how to read co-ordinates."

"_The old building near the edge of the city,_" Cyber Cam told her over the link.

"_Perry's place,"_ Blake muttered.

Kelly nodded, "I'm on my way."

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly stood outside the old building, frowning as she looked around.

"This is so stereotypical," she muttered to herself. She walked up to an entrance that could barely be called a door and broke off some of the boards that had been put up to keep people out.

Inside, the hallways were long and dark. Kelly squinted slightly to see if she could find her way. The only source of light, aside from the sun peeking through, was coming from a room further down. She took her chances with that room and bolted for it.

Thankfully, she stepped into a room that was obviously lived in. She found it looked like a cross between her father's old garage and the lab of a mad scientist.

"Hunter?" she called softly, hoping there was no one here to jump out at her. "Hunter, are you here?"

"K-kelly?" a weak voice replied. Kelly turned, finding Hunter sitting in a chair with what she could only describe as a brain switching helmet on his head. She walked up to him.

"Are you Hunter?"

"Of course I am…" Hunter answered weakly as his head fell from one side to the other. It was obvious that whatever was on his head was draining his energy. Kelly reached over, pulling it off, as well as the restraints holding him to the chair.

"So, was this some kind of practical joke or…?"

"Motodrone… it's Perry," Hunter answered. He tried to stand up, but stumbled forward. Kelly was quick enough to catch him, stopping him from falling face first onto the floor.

"What the hell is a motodrone?" Kelly asked him.

"The monster…" Hunter said. "He used my Ranger energies to power his bike."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Kelly smirked to herself as she sat Hunter back down in the chair. "Blake could ride so much better with your energy."

Hunter ignored her, "He used that machine over there."

He pointed to a complicated lab desk, with only a few keys to be pressed. Kelly ran over to it and frowned.

"Do you expect me to fix this?" she asked him.

"Just reverse whatever he did to me."

Kelly furrowed her brow as she scanned the desk and keys, hoping something would hit her. The only thing she could think of was hitting the "ctrl" and the "z" button then slamming her hand down on the big red button in the middle of the desk.

So she tried it.

Kelly winced as Hunter was hit by a bright light coming out of the machine behind him. She waited for the light to fade before she ran over to him.

"HUNTER!" she cried, afraid she had hurt him. Hunter seemed to be passed out once again as he was slouched down in the chair. Kelly tried to shake him awake. "Hunter, are you okay? Say something."

"Boo!" Hunter smiled, jumping up at Kelly and scaring her. She jumped back, holding her hand over her heart.

"Hunter!" she shouted, slapping him on the arm.

"You were worried," Hunter smirked. Kelly face fell.

"I was… no I wasn't."

"You thought you hurt me."

"I thought you broke the machine…"

"You asked if I was okay," Hunter smirked.

Kelly slapped him on the arm again, "Go help your friends."

"You were so worried!" Hunter called out as he jumped out of the chair and rushed off to help his friends. Now that he knew Perry was Motodrone, he knew what he had to do to stop the monster.

Kelly shook her head, "I was not worried…" she told herself, but even she wasn't convinced. When she thought she had hurt him, she had panicked. She wasn't sure if it was because she worried about him, or if it was just human instinct to panic when you think you killed someone by accident.

She shook her head again as she began her walk home, careful not to avoid walking right into the battlefield.

-----Storm-Chargers-----

Kelly was sitting on the seat of a bike back at the shop, waiting for Tori to come home after her long day fighting monsters. She heard the bell at the door ring and jumped up, stepping into the front of the shop, behind the front counter.

To her surprise, Hunter had come back with Tori, and he was still wearing the same smirk from back at the old building. She groaned.

Tori walked up to her friend, leaning against the counter, "Hunter tells me you like him."

Kelly gave Tori a sharp glare, "I do not."

When Tori smirked in response, Kelly knew the younger girl had caught something. Already she had voiced her assumptions that Kelly was at least crushing on the older Thunder Ranger.

"You should have seen it, Tori," Hunter smirked, wrapping his arm around the blonde's shoulder, "She was all, _Hunter, Hunter, are you okay_? It was so cute!"

"Aha!" Tori shouted, taking Hunter by surprise.

"What?" he frowned. "I just said it was cute… oh no…"

Tori had a wild smirk on her lips as she nodded. "This is going to be good."

"Wait, you think I like…" Hunter started until the nervous laughter interrupted him. He patted Tori's shoulder gently, "Wow… that's… uh, that's a good one, Tor."

Tori crossed her arms, "Whatever, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, lovers."

"We are not lovers!" Hunter and Kelly both shouted at the same time. Tori chuckled before racing up the stairs. Kelly glared at Hunter and smacked him on the arm again.

"Don't do that again!"

"Ow. Do what?" Hunter asked.

"Share my thoughts."

Kelly left Hunter alone in the store without saying anything else. Hunter grumbled.

"If we're sharing thoughts, then you're in my head too…" he muttered to himself before leaving.


	19. Dustin's Trust

Kelly stood with Shane and Tori, glaring disappointedly at Dustin as he told them about his missing bike. She was in total shock as she heard his story. Apparently, he thought it would be a great idea to trust a stranger to take off with his pride and joy. The man who took the bike promised to give Dustin's bike a few improvements, and had even left Dustin with a business card so he could pick the bike up when it was done.

But when Dustin went to the address written on the card, he found nothing but a dead end.

Shane shook his head in disbelief, "Dude, you just gave him your bike?"

"He seemed cool!" Dustin argued, as if it was a good reason. Tori sighed.

"Dustin, when are you going to realise that not everyone deserves your trust?"

"Especially people you meet at the track," Kelly added.

"Well, maybe someone at the track's heard of this guy," Dustin said. "I'm going to go find out."

Tori took the business card from Dustin, checking the address one more time before she looked up at Shane.

"How about we check this place again?" she offered to Dustin as he headed for the door. "Maybe you just missed it."

Shane nodded, following Tori to her car, "We'll find this guy, don't worry Dustin."

"I'll start phoning around," Kelly sighed, rolling her eyes as she reached behind the counter for the phone. "If he is a mechanic, maybe other sport stores have heard about him."

Dustin ran out, but not before giving Kelly his puppy look that told her he was sorry. She had told him, time and time again, from the day he started working for her that not everyone could be trusted simply because they offered him a smile.

Kelly knew Dustin had a big heart, and she knew it was going to get him in trouble. She watched as customers tried playing with that big heart to get discounts or walk out the store with free merchandise. She found herself thankful that Dustin wasn't running his own store, or he would be out of business in a matter of days.

There were also the customers who tried to fool Dustin into believing they were normal people, when they were really scamming him. Several times Kelly had found the cash register to be short money, because some exchange artists had come in and tricked Dustin into giving them a hundred dollars.

She couldn't blame the boy, though. She loved that he saw the world through innocent eyes. He always believed that there was good inside everyone. She found it rather cute. It only frustrated her to no end that people would try to take advantage of that, and take advantage of him. One day, she was sure he was really going to get hurt.

She tried phoning every sport store in Blue Bay Harbour, hoping they knew a Dwayne Wheeler, or even better, that he worked for them and he truly was a good guy.

However, no one knew him. They didn't know his name, they had never seen him before on the track, and they never remembered seeing a guy matching his description in the store. Kelly was starting to think he was a ghost, and Dustin had only dreamt he lost his bike.

She hung up the phone on the last store and walked to the back room, just to make sure Dustin's bike wasn't there. Just as she walked around the counter to make her way to the back, the door to the store opened, and Dustin walked in with a petite brunette in tow. Kelly turned to her employee, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I thought you were looking for your bike," she said. Dustin's didn't say a word as he pulled Kelly to the back room. The girl with him followed, looking around the store suspiciously to make sure no one saw them.

Kelly frowned as she looked up at Dustin, shaking her head, "What's going on?" she asked. Dustin let go of her arm and turned to the girl beside him. He pulled her forward nervously.

"Do you think you have room for one more person?" he asked his boss. Kelly frowned.

"That depends? Is she a new employee, or are you asking if she can move in with me and Tori?"

"Both, maybe," Dustin shrugged. He turned to the girl. She looked at him and shrugged as well. Dustin nodded before turning back to Kelly.

She shook her head, "No. Now go find your bike."

"What?" Dustin frowned, surprised Kelly would reject his offer before hearing him out. "No, Kel, you have to understand…"

"I don't know who she is," Kelly told him. "I can't just hire on the spot like that. And I'm certainly not going to let some stranger move into my house. It's bad enough you trusted one with your bike."

"I know, I know," Dustin groaned. "But look, Kelly. This is Marah."

"Wait, that alien freak?" Kelly asked. She turned to Marah, who began to pout and looked up at Dustin. He wrapped his arm around her comfortingly as he looked at Kelly.

"Yeah. She was kicked out of Lothor's ship because she wasn't evil enough," he explained to Kelly. "She has nowhere to go."

"Well, she's not invited here," Kelly frowned. "I'm not living in a house with the niece of the man who tried to kill me and you guys!"

"I was replaced by one of my old friends," Marah explained, touching Kelly's arm. The red head growled, pulling her arm away as she glared hatefully at Marah. "My uncle's sent down Beevil to finish off the Rangers. She's like, super tough, and only I know how to defeat her."

"Really?" Kelly asked, adopting a stereotypical, high-pitched valley girl tone as she looked at Marah. "Well, in that case, I guess it's like, totally fine that you stay with me."

"Really?" Dustin asked. Kelly turned to him, her expression darkening.

"No."

Dustin groaned loudly, growing very frustrated. He gave Marah an awkward smile before grabbing Kelly's arm and pulling her away to speak with her privately.

"C'mon, Kel," he begged his boss. "Please, trust me on this."

"I trust you," Kelly nodded, "I just don't trust other people. Dustin, you have to learn, sometimes, no matter how nice a person seems, they have bad intentions."

Dustin pulled away from Kelly, returning to Marah's side. He looked at her softly.

"C'mon. You were telling me what I had to do to stop Beevil?"

Marah nodded. As she and Dustin walked back out into the shop, she pulled out a strange device from her jacket. Kelly followed them, keeping her distance and her eyes on Dustin and Marah to make sure nothing fishy was going on. Marah led Dustin to the couches, thinking they could speak privately, but Kelly snuck closer to them, pretending she was too distracted by inventory to listen in.

"I stole this from Uncle's ship," Marah told Dustin. "It can neutralise Beevil's energy, but it has to be charged with a power source equal to her strength."

"Where am I supposed to find that?" Dustin asked. Marah shrugged.

"I don't know. Don't you guys have some sort of secret headquarters with really cool stuff?"

Kelly waited to hear an answer from Dustin, but she only heard the sound of someone getting up from the couch. She peeked over the top of the shelf just in time to see Dustin grabbing the strange device from Marah and tuck it under his jacket. Marah gave him a smile and a nod before the two walked out the door.

Once outside, they went their separate ways. Dustin went in the direction of the Wind Ninja Academy, and Marah went in the opposite.

Kelly pulled out the communicator Cam had given her a while back.

"Cam, I think Dustin's about to do something really stupid."

-Storm-Chargers-

After informing Cam about Dustin's possible plan, Kelly had received permission from the Rangers to go into Ninja Ops. She had been picked up by Tori as soon as possible, and arrived just as Cam and Sensei snuck up behind Dustin, catching him in the act.

Dustin turned around, finding all his friends standing behind him, giving him disappointed looks. His shoulders drooped forward as he looked down at the device in his hands.

"I knew it," Kelly frowned, shaking her head. She had already told Cam about Dustin believing Marah was on their side, and he obviously informed the others.

"I'm telling you," Dustin said, already on the defence, "Marah wants to change. And I believe her."

"Man, did you miss the whole Choobo thing?" Blake asked. "He told us the same thing, and it ended up being a trap."

"How do we know it's not a bomb, or a tracking device?" Tori pointed out, looking the device in Dustin's hands. He grew slightly worried, but only held onto it tighter.

"Lothor's goons can't be trusted!" Hunter stated. Dustin quickly jumped, turning to his blonde friend.

"Marah's not a goon! She's just a little confused," Dustin said. A smile slowly started appearing on his lips as he did. Kelly saw this and her lips curled up into a smirk.

"I know that look," she smirked.

Shane leaned forward, resting his arm over Blake's shoulders as he tapped Dustin on the chest, "Dude, you are so into her."

"I am not!" Dustin giggled. "I mean, she's kinda cute."

"No, no," Kelly smirked. "You had that same look before Spring Fling last year when you wanted to ask out Nathalie Ushkov. You _so _like her."

Dustin scratched behind his ear nervously as he glanced around the room.

"No, she… she just really wants to help us," he said, stuttering slightly.

Suddenly, there was a beep from the computer as an image of Beevil terrorizing the city popped up. Shane, Tori, Blake and Cam took off immediately while Dustin stayed behind. He looked down at the device in his hands, and the console he pulled out to charge it up.

Hunter and Kelly gave him stern looks as they waited.

"Wait, I need to charge this thing up!" Dustin called to his friends. Hunter shook his head.

"That's your choice," he said before taking off. "We got to go."

Dustin watched as Hunter left before turning to Kelly. She shrugged.

"For once, I agree with him," she said.

Sensei looked up at his student, "Are you aware of the risk you are taking, Dustin?"

"Sensei, you've always told us that a ninja's most valuable weapon is in instinct. I just know there is some good, somewhere inside Marah."

Dustin took the device, set it up on the charger and waited until it was full before taking off after the others.

Kelly turned to Sensei, "He's going to get hurt, isn't he?"

"We can only hope he knows what he's doing," Sensei nodded. He took a seat in front of the computer, watching the battle unfold. "You may as well remain here until the end of the fight. It's too dangerous in the city for you to leave."

Kelly nodded, taking the large computer chair as she watched her friends get tossed around like ragdolls. She bit her lower lip nervously, waiting for the Rangers to do something to get themselves out of this jam.

Suddenly, from out of the cloud of dust, Marah appeared. She looked at Beevil, smirking wickedly, before diving into a battle against her so-called "best friend".

Kelly had to admit, Marah was good, and she really was helping the Rangers defeat Beevil. She knew what she was doing, and she knew exactly what to do to take Beevil down. However, when Beevil landed a surprise blow on Marah, she lost the upper hand and Beevil was in control of the battle.

Just when Beevil threw Marah to the ground, Dustin showed up, holding up the charged up device in his hand. He tossed it to Marah, who caught it and shot Beevil with it. The overgrown bee dropped to the ground, shaking wildly as Marah got to her feet. She slowly placed the device on Beevil's forehead, clipping it into place.

Kelly could see the grin on Dustin's face. It looked like he was right about Marah. With Dustin's help, she had taken down Beevil and helped the Rangers.

"That was awesome!" Dustin cried out, and Kelly could hear it on the computer. The other Rangers gathered around behind Dustin. Their visors were lowered, so Kelly could see their faces. They looked just as surprised as she did.

"Of course I wouldn't let Beevil destroy you," Marah beamed brightly before waving her hand in front of her face. Her clothes and hair changed, almost magically, and the smile dropped from her face.

"That little bitch," Kelly growled as she gazed upon the old, evil Marah.

"I want to do that myself," Marah smirked.

On the battlefield, Dustin could feel his heart sinking. Shane felt something stirring inside of him and jumped towards Marah. He would have gone after her, had it not been for Hunter's hand on his chest, holding him back.

Beevil jumped up, laughing an evil laugh as she looked at the Rangers.

"At last, the truth!"

She waved her hand out, pointing her open palm at the Rangers. Before they had time to react, of defend themselves, they were caught in a powerful explosion, sending them all flying.

As the Rangers got back to their feet and regrouped, Beevil clapped her hands together. She looked at Marah with a smile on her friend.

"Thanks for the energy boost, girlfriend! Our plan worked like a charm!"

Kelly, in Ninja Ops, slammed her fist on the table as she watched this unfold. She was more than pissed off that Marah turned out to be the evil bitch everyone expected her to be, except Dustin. She had seen it on Dustin's face. He truly believed Marah, and if she and the others were right, he did have a thing for her.

"Calm down, Kelly," Sensei told her. "We all knew this was coming."

"We knew it was coming, but that doesn't mean I didn't want him to be right," Kelly growled. "That little bitch is playing with his heart!"

Sensei nodded his head slowly, turning to the computer, "Dustin does possess a big heart."

"And she knew it!" Kelly cried out. "She knew he would trust her and she took advantage of it! Just like every other little piece of shit out there!"

"I take it this has happened before."

"Many times," Kelly nodded. "Dustin's heart is bigger than his head, and he doesn't know how to use it. I'm always finding myself… protecting him."

"Sometimes, it's best to just let him take the risk," Sensei smiled. "He may be right about some people."

Kelly ran her hand through her hair, "I hope you're right, Sensei Guinea Pig dude..."

"Sensei is fine with me," Sensei chuckled. He turned back the screen as the fight came to an end, with the Rangers emerging victorious. "You may return to your store now. I will need to have a talk with the Rangers."

Kelly nodded and headed for the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned to Sensei.

"Please don't be too hard on him," she told the guinea pig. "He may be trusting, but his heart is always in the right place."

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly walked up to the door of her shop and stuck her keys in the lock when she heard a truck door close behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a man unloading Dustin's bike from his truck.

"Excuse me," the man called as he rolled the bike over to Kelly. "Is this Storm Chargers?"

"Yeah," she nodded, looking up at the sign before offering her hand to shake, "I'm Kelly Holloway, the owner."

"Great," the man smiled. "I have a bike here and it belongs to a Dustin Brooks. I offered to help fix it up for him."

"I heard about you," Kelly frowned. "You gave Dustin the phony business card. You're Dwayne."

"Can you tell him I'm really sorry about that?" Dwayne nodded. "You see, I've started my own little business, and I've just moved out to a bigger shop. I accidentally handed him one of my old business cards. I felt so terrible about it."

"Excuse me?" Kelly frowned.

"I went to the track earlier to see if, maybe he was there, but I didn't see him."

"Yeah, he was kinda busy," Kelly nodded. "How did you wind up here then?"

Dwayne pointed to the Storm Charger logo printed on the bike, "I figured maybe you would know where he is."

"He works for me," Kelly smiled. "He's actually kind of like a little brother."

"Great," Dwayne smiled, handing the bike over to Kelly. "Can you give this back to him. I've got another appointment in like, half an hour ago."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Kelly nodded, taking the bike.

"And please, please, tell him I'm really sorry about this!" he shouted as he ran back to his truck. "He must have been crazy worried."

Kelly smiled as she rolled the bike back into the shop, taking it to the back room to set it up. Just as she stepped back into the shop, she heard Dustin walking into the store, followed quickly by the others.

"Dustin, are you okay?" Tori asked him, catching his arm before he got away from the rest of the group.

"Man, I'm such a chump," Dustin breathed heavily, shaking his head as he turned to his friends. "I'll never trust anyone again."

"Hey, if you hadn't trust us, we wouldn't be here," Hunter pointed out as he motioned to himself and Blake.

"Yeah, everyone makes mistakes," Shane added, hoping it would make his best friend feel better. Dustin sighed loudly.

"First that bike guy, then Marah…"

"Hey," Hunter interrupted gently, "Don't blame yourself."

"That girl is bad news," Blake nodded.

"It's just… something about her eyes," Dustin said. "They seemed so sincere."

Tori's lips curled up in a smile as she looked at the broken-hearted yellow Ranger standing before her.

Blake laughed, "Don't even go there, man."

Tori slapped the navy Ranger in the chest as she took Dustin's hands.

"You're a sweet guy," she whispered to him, kissing his cheek. "You deserve better than Marah."

"You see, dude, I knew you were going to say it," Dustin said, pulling away. Tori pulled him back.

"It's inevitable," she smiled. "It's true. You put yourself out there and you got hurt. There's no shame in that. You can trust people, just… try to be smart about it."

Kelly decided to but in now. The others had their chance to talk and try and cheer Dustin up. She walked up behind him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Dustin, there's something you gotta see."

Dustin waved his hand dismissively as he turned around to look at Kelly.

"Not now. I'm not really in the mood."

Kelly smiled, "I think you'll really wanna see this."

Dustin looked back down at Kelly and saw her bright smile. He rolled his eyes as she took his hands and lead him to the back room.

"Dwayne just dropped it off before you got here," she explained, pulling Dustin around the corner and showing him his bike. His face lit up, like it was Christmas morning, and he jumped on the seat. He checked everything out excitedly before looking up at Kelly.

"Where did you find this?" he asked her.

"Apparently, Dwayne accidentally gave you an old business card," Kelly explained to him as the others followed. "He's been trying to find you, and wound up back here. You're lucky I got back from Ops when I did, or I would have missed him.

Dustin jumped off his bike and ran over to Kelly, wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug, before grabbing the rest of his friends and pulling them in.

"You see guys," he told them as he squeezed them happily. "Sometimes, you just gotta trust people, you know."

Kelly pulled out of the hug, as did the others, and she slapped him gently on the arm.

"Just go test out your new bike, you big goof," she chuckled. Dustin giggled like a child as he took his bike out the back door to ride it on the mini-track that was just outside Storm Chargers and mostly used to test out new and newly repaired bikes.


	20. Tori's Nightmare

Kelly woke up in the middle of the night to a hellish scream coming from just outside her room. Panicked, the jumped out of bed and ran to the other room, where Tori was sleeping on her couch. Kelly could hear, long before dropping to her knees beside the couch, that Tori was breathing deeply, as if in a nightmare. She touched her friend's arm gently, shaking her awake.

"Tori, wake up. It's just a dream."

Tori woke with a start, almost rolling off the couch as she was pulled from her nightmare. Kelly caught her before she hit the floor, but the two girls tumbled backwards from the momentum.

"Kelly?" Tori asked, almost startled as she looked around, slowly realising she was back at Kelly's place, safe and sound.

"I hope so," Kelly nodded. She pulled her legs out from under Tori and sat up properly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tori said, pulling herself back up to the couch, "Just another nightmare."

"I'm starting to think something's up with these nightmares," Kelly frowned. "You've been having at least one a night lately…"

"For a while now," Tori nodded. "I don't know why. I've never really had nightmares this often."

"I would hope not," Kelly shrugged. "If you did, I would reconsider the living arrangements."

"Sorry I woke you up," Tori breathed, a little nervously as Kelly got back to her feet. Kelly shook her head, grabbing the blankets that had fallen off the couch in Tori's panic. She straightened them out, laying them across the couch so Tori could go back to sleep.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled. "They're probably just triggered by you fighting monsters every day. It's a lot of stress for a seventeen year old."

"I'm almost eighteen," Tori smirked.

"Your birthday is next week," Kelly chuckled. "Until then, you're still way too young to be fighting monsters. Don't worry about the nightmares; just try not to wake me up _every_ night."

"I'll do my best to keep my screams to myself," Tori laughed.

-Storm-Chargers-

Mornings were starting to be Tori's least favourite time of day, right after the middle of the night when she would wake up terrified from a nightmare. She always woke up more tired than when she went to bed, and it was just getting worse.

When she walked downstairs to the shop, the boys were already in the store. Dustin, Blake and Hunter were busy at work, fixing bikes, helping customers and putting boxes away. Kelly was sitting at the front counter, beside Blake as she dealt with the paperwork and inventory for the day.

Shane sat on the couches, playing with a little finger skateboard as he waited for someone to come and talk to him. Tori decided to join him, but to get the couches, she had to walk past Hunter in the back room, putting away boxes, Dustin in the work room and Blake and Kelly at the front counter.

"Whoa…" Blake frowned when he saw Tori walk by.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Hunter asked, following her until he reached the front counter. Tori ignored them.

"Leave her alone, butt-face," Kelly said, smacking Hunter on the chest, "She hasn't been sleeping well."

"Obviously," Dustin nodded. "I didn't know her hair could look like that."

Shane glanced up when he noticed Tori and frowned almost instantly.

"Bed head, much?" he said, scooting over on the couch to give her a little room. Tori let herself drop onto the couch, then dropped her head in Shane's lap.

"Go away," she muttered. Shane placed his hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly.

"Nightmares?" he asked her, and felt her nod her head on his lap. "Same here."

"What's yours about?"

"It was a dream I had when I was a kid," Shane started telling her. "I'm in this forest, and there's something calling my name. But every time I find it, the dream stops."

Tori's finger lifted slightly as she twirled it around.

"Whoohoo," she cheered, with a mocking tone in her voice. "What a scary dream. I can't believe you can sleep at night."

"Well, what are your nightmares about?"

Tori lifted her head slowly, "You really don't wanna know."

Shane patted her head gently, "Well, if you want, you can fall asleep now. Nothing can get you with all of us here?"

Tori shook her head, "No thanks," she pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes, "I might just go to the beach. Maybe taking a day off might get rid of the nightmares."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Shane asked her. Again, Tori shook her head.

"Unless you want to learn how to surf, you'll get really bored sitting alone on the beach."

"I'll go with you," Kelly smiled, putting down her paperwork as she looked over to the couches.

Dustin turned to his boss, "Um, Kel, shouldn't you be working?"

Kelly grinned, "Well, if you look at it this way: One: I'm the boss. I can do whatever I want. Two: you boys owe me big time."

Kelly smirked at Dustin, patting his shoulder as she pulled off her Storm Chargers vest and gathered a few things from the back while Tori went upstairs to get her bathing suit and her surfing equipment.

-Storm-Chargers-

Tori sat on her board in the middle of the ocean, looking out at the horizon. The waves weren't very good for surfing, but at this point in time, she didn't care much. With her legs hanging off her board and in the water, and the cool ocean breeze blowing on her wet body, she finally felt calm and safe.

It wasn't a feeling she was used to anymore. With an alien attack possible at any moment, her body had been under a lot of stress. It had been a few months since she had picked up her morpher and become a Power Ranger, and she could only imagine how sick her body was getting.

She turned back to Kelly, looking at her friend from the water as Kelly sat on the towels. Like Tori, she was looking out at the waters, just enjoying the view and the sun. Because she was always at work, it was rare for Kelly to get out during the day and enjoy time at the beach.

A wave rolled under the surfboard, lifting Tori slightly and rocking her gently, bringing her back to her own thoughts. She looked down at her surfboard before turning around and laying her back on the surface, pulling her legs out of the water as she relaxed, using the board as more of a bed than its intended use.

To block out the harsh summer sun, Tori held her hand just above her eyes, keeping them shut to relax. Before she knew it, the rocking motion, the sound of the waves and the birds put her to sleep.

Back on the beach, Kelly was looking out at the water, always keeping an eye on Tori. She had seen her fair share of surfing accidents on TV and on the news in Blue Bay Harbour, and the last place she wanted to be was Blue Bay Harbour Hospital, signing forms.

She noticed Tori had switched positions and was now lying down on her board. She smirked, shaking her head slightly. Now she was going to have to swim out in the water to wake the blonde up. She trusted Tori's swimming skills, but falling asleep on a surfboard, in the middle of the ocean was just asking for trouble.

She pulled off her hat and shirt, exposing her skin to the sun, and removed her sandals before making her way to the water. She walked in gently, feeling the cold water on her feet, then her legs. When the water was deep enough, she dove in, forcing her body to adapt to the cold water at a much faster rate as she began to swim out.

It was a far swim, but Kelly had spent her entire life in training for all kinds of sports. Both her parents were athletes and passed on their passion for physical activity to Kelly at a young age. There was not a sport in the United States that Kelly had not tried at least once. In High School, she had won the award for _Most likely to Win a Gold Medal in the Olympics_ and _Most Athletic._

By the time she reached Tori's surfboard, she was only slightly tired. She pulled her head out of the water to take a deep breath and wiped the water from her face before focusing on Tori.

The blonde's face was twisted into a look of pain, a lot like the look Tori had every night when she was having a nightmare. Kelly grabbed onto the surfboard with one arm, keeping her afloat as she sprayed water on Tori's face, hoping the sudden splash of cold would pull her out of her sleep.

Tori didn't wake, but her body reacted to the water, making her shiver and jump slightly, pulling away from where it thought the attack had come from. This caused Tori to roll off the other end of the surfboard and fall into the water. Kelly shielded her face from the splash, assuming Tori would wake up after that. She waited for the surfer to surface, but Tori never did.

Kelly frowned. She couldn't see Tori under the water because the surfboard was in the way. She knew Tori couldn't have fallen far unless the leash had snapped. Tori's boards were always well kept, so the possibility of that happening was slim.

Kelly didn't want to push the surfboard away, just in case Tori was surfacing, just taking a little longer to do so. If she pushed it over Tori's head while the blonde was trying to come up, there was a good chance that Tori might hit her head on the bottom, or even worse the fins. So instead, Kelly pulled the board closer to her and swam around it, keeping one hand on the deck at all times.

When the view was finally clear of the surfboard, Kelly looked back down into the water and saw Tori. She seemed to be drowning in the water, but her body wasn't struggling. If anything, it looked like Tori was completely passed out or dead.

Kelly immediately dove under the water to retrieve her friend. She knew she shouldn't open her eyes in the salt water, but if she didn't, she wouldn't have been able to find Tori and pull her back up. She couldn't trust the leash on the surfboard because it would mislead her on her way to the surface, and she might be the one to hit her head on the fins.

The salt water burned her eyes as Kelly reached down, grabbing Tori around the waist and pulling her back up. Because they were underwater, Tori was as light as ever. However, once Kelly and Tori broke the surface, Tori's body was completely limp, making it next to impossible for Kelly to hold her up.

Kelly didn't give up though. She almost threw Tori on the surfboard so her arms were hanging over and the rest of her body was still in the water. With her arms out, at least, Kelly could hold onto her as she went around to the other side of the board. She had to go around the tail. She was careful not to hit the fins, but was too panicked about Tori to really pay attention. She felt her leg and knee brush against it, but ignored it for now.

When she finally made it to the other side of the board, she pulled herself up, holding onto the board and Tori with her arms. There would be almost no way Kelly could get Tori onto the board, especially after the long swim so she settled with having herself and Tori hanging off the sides.

"Tori," Kelly called, tapping the side of Tori's face to try and wake her up. "Tori!"

Tori didn't move. She didn't even respond. Kelly tried splashing water in her face, but that didn't trigger any type of response from her friend.

"Tori, you little piece of shit!" Kelly screamed, growing worried. She was too far away from the beach for anyone to hear her and come help her. Until Tori woke up or the tide brought them back in, they were stranded. Kelly tapped Tori on the cheek again, "Wake up!"

Tori let out a loud scream, almost throwing herself back into the water had Kelly's hand not been holding onto her arm tight.

"Tori!" Kelly cried, tightening her grip on her young friend. Tori's eyes shot open, her body jerking around for a bit in panic until she realised where she was and what had happened. Kelly pulled herself up on the surfboard. Now that Tori was awake, it wouldn't be too hard to pull her up as well.

"You're okay," she whispered into Tori's ear as she helped her up. "It's okay."

When Tori was safely on the surfboard, everything hit her; her nightmare, as well as almost drowning in the ocean. Kelly pulled her into her arms, thankful her friend was safe. Tori curled into Kelly's arms, forcing herself in closer to Kelly's body, taking comfort for once from her female friend.

Kelly kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arms, warming her up slightly even though the sun was out.

"Another nightmare?" she asked gently. She felt Tori's head nod up and down on her chest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tori shrugged. She wasn't really sure what to say. It had been the same nightmare over and over again that had been affecting her for a few weeks now. At first it had been simple, and only slightly scary. She would find herself in another universe. In that alternate universe the Rangers were the bad guys, Lothor was the mayor of Blue Bay Harbour, and his evil alien team were all aliens who wanted to help people and live among them.

But as the nights went on and the nightmares continued, things only got worse. Now, Tori was finding herself alone in a different world. Lothor was still mayor, but he wasn't doing anything to protect the city from the Rangers. There was nothing that could be done. Shane, Dustin, Cam, Blake and Hunter had already conquered Blue Bay Harbour and had turned it into their evil empire.

Tori always found herself opposing them. Even if she knew it was only a dream, she wouldn't stand by and watch as her friends destroyed the city. She would go to Ninja Ops and try to talk them out of destroying the city. They would laugh in her face and kick her out, threatening to kill her if she tried to do anything to stop them. Tori would ignore this threat and seek them out, alone. She would fight the boys and hold her own for a while until they got the upper hand, getting the best of her and taking her down. Blake would kneel down on top of her, pinning her to the ground as he levelled a weapon at her. It would change every time, but the results would always be the same when he went to use it.

Tori would always be pulled out of her nightmare at that point by Kelly. Just as Blake delivered his final blow, but right before the blow could kill her.

Kelly squeezed the young girl in her arms gently, "Tori, it's okay to talk about it. Whatever is scaring you, I can help."

Tori looked up at her friend and saw Kelly smiling at her. It put her slightly at ease. Kelly tucked a strand of wet hair behind Tori's ear, cupping her cheek slightly.

"It's just a nightmare," she whispered. "It can't hurt you."

So Tori told her everything: the Rangers turning evil and creating their empire in Blue Bay Harbour. How she would try to stop them and all about how Blake tried to kill her.

When Tori reached the end of her nightmare she had tears in her eyes. Her body shook from terror. Kelly could only smile as she hugged her friend.

"You know," she started, "The guys would never do that to you. You're the scariest one on the team."

"I know that," Tori nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't know why I was dreaming about this… but it's always got me scared."

Kelly shook her head, "Well, you don't need to be scared anymore, okay?"

Tori looked up at Kelly, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Why? What are you going to do, Kel? I mean, you're strong, but you're no ninja."

Kelly shrugged, "I know that. But you won't be alone. I don't want anyone to take over the city and turn it into some kind of evil empire, even if it is the boys."

Kelly took Tori's hands in hers, "Look, this probably isn't much comfort for you to hear. You're a Power Ranger and I own the shop you hang out in. But if the boys do betray you like that, or you wind up with no allies and need to protect the world from whatever bad guy tried to take it, you know you can always count on me."

"But… you and Dustin are so close…"

"Yes, but he's a boy," Kelly smirked. "If he steps out of line I can smack him."

Tori chuckled and Kelly was happy to see this. At least she was helping somewhat. She squeezed Tori's hands.

"Look, I don't have a big family. After my mother died, it was just me and my dad. You guys are the closest things to siblings I will ever have. And as your older sister, it's my job to keep you all from hurting each other."

"Even if we can kick your ass?" Tori smirked. Kelly nodded.

"Even if you can kick my ass."

There was a moment of silence as Kelly pulled Tori in for a hug. When the two had enough and pulled apart, Kelly smacked Tori on her upper arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Tori asked, rubbing her arm.

"For giving me a heart attack, earlier," Kelly said. "You almost drowned. I never thought I would have to save the water ninja from water!"

Tori shook her head, playfully, shoving Kelly slightly. Kelly laughed, pretending the push was harder than it actually was. She leaned backwards on the surfboard, pretending to pass out in pain.

She didn't have to pretend she was in pain for long as a sharp pain shot up her thigh. She let out a pained groan, sitting back up on the surfboard. The leg in question was hanging off the side of the surfboard, sitting in the water from the top of the knee down.

Kelly couldn't see any marks on her thigh aside from some redness around her knee and in the water. Curious and in pain, she tried to pull her leg out of the ocean. She didn't move very far before the pain shot up her thigh again, almost completely immobilising her leg.

When Tori saw Kelly was in distress she decided to help her out. Very gently, she grabbed Kelly's leg, pulling it up. Kelly whimpered in pain as Tori laid her leg out straight on the surfboard.

The girls finally realised what had been causing Kelly so much pain as Tori gently traced a long and deep cut with her fingers. It started on the inside of the knee and came down to the top of Kelly's calf.

"That doesn't look good," Tori stated. Kelly looked at her cut, then up at Tori.

"Really?" she frowned. Tori shrugged.

"I don't know. I surf. I'm not a doctor."

Kelly sighed loudly, bending forward to take a look at her cut herself. She winced in pain, feeling the pull as she inspected it.

"Tori, think you can get us back to the beach?" Kelly asked. Tori nodded.

She put her arms in the water and began paddling back until she reached the shore. She pulled her surfboard in close enough and helped Kelly up to her feet.

There was a shack not too far down the beach, where emergency crews would rest. At random hours of the day, a few of them would wander out onto the beach just to make sure there was nothing going on that they needed to be a part of.

Thankfully, one had decided to wander out just as Tori and Kelly came out of the water. He noticed the blood dripping down Kelly's leg and rushed over. With help from Tori, he took Kelly back to the shack and he and his co-workers got to work fixing up Kelly's knee.

Tori had to wait outside. She sat down in the sand, not too far from the door and waited for someone to call her in. With the time alone, she began to think about her nightmare.

She had been worried about being left alone on the battlefield. With so many Kalzacks and strong monsters, the idea that something might happen to the boys wasn't very farfetched. Though Tori didn't doubt her abilities as a Ranger or a fighter, she was never really sure what she would do if she was left to fend for herself.

She looked up at the shack as a one of the men came out, inviting her inside to see Kelly. As Tori walked in, spotting her best friend sitting on a bed, all her fears suddenly disappeared. Kelly had been on her own not once, but twice. The first time when Lothor had forced her to play a part in his evil plan to kill the Rangers. Kelly had to find her own way out of that problem, and did a good job keeping her friends and herself alive.

The second time was today. Kelly had gotten no help when Tori had fallen asleep in the water and began to have a nightmare. With nothing to rely on but her own skills, she had managed to save Tori's life, keep her own life safe, and help Tori with her nightmares by promising to stick by her side, no matter how tough the battles got.

Tori smiled, helping Kelly off the bed, supporting her as Kelly tried out her injured leg. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"How many times have you gotten hurt in the past few months?" she asked. Kelly looked over at the younger girl, glaring hatefully.

"It's called being an innocent victim," she said. "It's your fault."

"Ah, the clipboard was not my doing," Tori told her. "And the scar on your back is from Hunter."

Kelly turned away from Tori, narrowing her eyes.

"Hunter…" she growled.

Tori smirked, "Aw, c'mon, Kel. Don't be mad at him. We all know you…"

"Shut up, brat before I tell Blake about the little book you keep hidden between the sofa cushions."

"You wouldn't… how do you know about that book?"

"My house. I can read anything I want."

"It's personal!"

"Not anymore," Kelly grinned. Tori was about to hit her, but Kelly held up her hand and pointed down to her knee.

"You wouldn't hit the poor, innocent victim, would you?"

Tori frowned, pulling her hand away and pouting.

"You suck."

Kelly pinched Tori's cheeks, "It's called being smart. If you didn't spend you classes writing _I love Blake_ in your diary, you would know what it feels like."

Tori growled as she helped Kelly walk across the beach, back to her van.

"Just wait until that knee heals up," she muttered.


	21. Karmanian

"Wakey, Wakey," Tori giggled, sitting on Kelly's bed as she waved her hand in front of Kelly's sleeping face. Kelly stirred slightly, rolling over so she was facing away from Tori. The Blue Ranger pouted as she hopped off the bed and ran over to the other side, dropping down.

"Kelly," she called, "Kelly…. Kelly…"

Kelly grabbed her pillow, lifting it up so she could stuff her head underneath.

"Go away," she muttered. Tori shook her head.

"You need to wake up," she said. "I'm hungry."

"Go make something," Kelly grumbled. Again, Tori shook her head, even if she knew Kelly couldn't see.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, birthday girls don't cook."

"No, apparently they don't," Kelly mumbled as she threw off the pillow and sat up. "And, apparently, they don't sleep in either."

"Not when I know Kelly's going to make blueberry pancakes!"

"Who says I'm going to make blueberry pancakes?" Kelly smirked. Tori's smile fell off her face as she heard this.

"Please?" she asked. "With icing sugar on top?"

"On top of the sweet request?" Kelly asked, "Or the pancakes?"

"Both?" Tori grinned. Kelly rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

As she crawled out of bed, limping to the closet, Tori snuggled in, getting comfortable in the bed she had just kicked Kelly out of.

"Can you put fruit on top?"

"Why not?" Kelly nodded.

"And whipped cream?"

"Sure…"

"And…"

"Anymore and you're going to be the Blue-berry Ranger," Kelly chuckled, "Round and plump". Tori frowned, crossing her arms as Kelly reached for the top shelf of her closet. She pulled down a small box, wrapped in blue and tossed it to Tori.

Tori caught it while Kelly sat back down on the bed with her. Before Tori could start ripping the paper off the box, Kelly grabbed her arm.

"Okay, now I want to warn you, this isn't a regular gift," Kelly had to explain so Tori would understand the reasoning behind this gift. "You're eighteen now. You have no more uses for silly little birthday gifts or money."

"So, what is this?" Tori asked.

"The first day of the rest of your life," Kelly smiled. "I always need another hand to help me out around the shop, and you don't have a job…"

Tori groaned loudly before Kelly could finish.

"Not you too…"

Kelly shook her head, "I'm not telling you to look for a job. I'm giving you the chance to try something out. You've told me, time and time again, you have no idea what you want to do after high school."

"Yeah," Tori nodded.

"There's nothing like business to fall back on. I figure I could give you a manager position here so you can try your hand at running a shop. Maybe you'll find you like it and want to start your own, or maybe not. Either way, it will give you a little bit of money in the meantime."

Tori looked down at the box and opened it, tearing off the paper. Inside the box sat a key. She lifted it up and looked at Kelly.

"Kinda… the key to your future," Kelly chuckled, "Directly, or indirectly."

Tori had to think about the present for a moment. It wasn't really what she was expecting. Ever since she met Kelly, they exchanged silly gifts for birthdays and Christmas. But when she looked back up at Kelly, she understood what the real gift was. It wasn't the job, or the key. It was help and support from one of her best friends.

Tori had never really known what she wanted to do in life. Nothing interested her like her training at the Wind Ninja Academy and surfing. Compared to that, everything else was boring. The reason she didn't have a job through her teenage years like Dustin was because she couldn't find something she could really stick with. A job at a fast food restaurant was boring and smelly. A job at a regular restaurant involved a lot of running around aimlessly while other people sat on their asses eating food. Working as a cashier was out of the question for the girl who loved to move around in the water and take in the view of the ocean.

And there was no career that interested her. Aside from finding a sponsor and surfing professionally, Tori could think of nothing she wanted to do with her life. Kelly's idea, however, about getting some experience in business could work out. If the professional surfing career didn't work out, Tori could maybe open up her own shop, offer surfing lessons and sell good quality surfboards.

Kelly tapped Tori's leg as she got up.

"Hurry up," she told the blonde, "We've got to pick up Cam in an hour for your party."

"But my pancakes!" Tori called, running after Kelly into the kitchen.

-Storm-Chargers-

When Kelly, Tori and Cam pulled arrive at the beach, they noticed Blake, Hunter and Dustin were already waiting for them with almost everything they needed to have fun at the beach. Tori hopped out of the van while Cam and Kelly unloaded the rest of the supplies from the back of the truck.

"Has anyone seen Shane?" Tori asked, looking around for the red Ranger. She was hoping he wouldn't be late for her birthday. Unlike Tori, Shane was still having nightmares, and they were keeping him up at night.

"We can't leave without him," Dustin smiled, holding up an inflatable surfboard while wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and an inflatable ring around his waist, "he's bringing the cake!"

"Guys!" Shane called, running towards the large group with a box in his hands. He handed the box to Tori. "Happy birthday."

Hunter and Blake stepped beside Tori to welcome their friend. Hunter noticed Shane was wearing a sweater and shorts, instead of his bathing suit (which was required at the beach party).

"Um, that doesn't look like beachwear, bro."

Shane scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, about that…"

"Don't tell me you're bailing!" Tori frowned.

Hunter took the cake from her and quickly took off with his brother. He didn't want to stick around if Tori was going to get angry and slap someone.

"I had that same dream again last night," Shane tried to explain, "I think it's trying to tell me something."

"Like, how to ruin your friend's birthday?"

Shane sighed, feeling terrible. The last thing he wanted to do was ditch Tori's birthday party because of a dream. But he knew he had to figure out why this dream kept happening and what it was about.

"I just know something's not right," he said, "I'm going to go check out the woods."

Cam and Kelly approached the blue and red Rangers, hoping to offer some help.

"Shane, I'm the first person to say duty before pleasure," Cam started, "But I left Cyber Cam online at Ninja ops. If anything weird shows up, he'll let us know."

"I'll catch up, okay," Shane said as he began to take a few steps back, "I promise."

Tori's shoulders dropped as she gave in, "Alright, but you better!" she shouted to him as he took off. She let out a loud sigh of disappointment before Dustin tossed a beach ball at her head. Obviously he still wasn't aware Kelly had just hired her as Storm Chargers manager, and his boss. Tori froze up for a second before turning around slowly.

"I'll count to three," she warned him, picking up the ball.

"Dude," Dustin shouted, pushing past Blake and Hunter.

"Three!" Tori called out, skipping one and two completely as she kicked the beach ball and ran after Dustin. Cam and brothers followed her farther down the beach while Kelly locked up the truck. She turned to Tori, then back to the forest on the other side of the parking lot, where Shane had just run off to. She groaned loudly, deciding to follow him and maybe help him out.

Her knee injury from the week before slowed her down, but eventually she caught up to Shane just as a bright light began dancing around his body. Shane flailed, trying to avoid it, before it flew off into the sky.

"What the hell was that?" Kelly asked, approaching Shane. He turned to her, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here?" he frowned.

"Well, you just ditched Tori's birthday," Kelly said. "I'm here if you want to talk."

Shane shrugged, "I don't really know what to say," he told her.

His ear picked up on something before he could continue. Being a ninja, he had been trained to pick up on the slightest of sounds. He paused, grabbing Kelly's arm and pulling her closer to him as he looked around the forest.

Just in time, his eyes caught sight of a large, dark orb that was speeding his way. He placed himself protectively in front of Kelly before jumping up and kicking the orb off its path.

It materialized a few feet away in a creature that looked a lot like a shark.

"Whoa, now there's a face only a mother could love," Shane chuckled. Kelly looked over his shoulder at the monster and shrugged.

"Eh… I don't know. If my kid came out like that, I might consider putting it up for adoption."

"I could say the same about you," the monster said. "Now step aside."

"Lothor's goons don't scare me," Shane smirked, fixing up his jacket.

"I'm Vexacus, and I work for no one."

Again, Kelly poked her head over Shane's shoulder, "He kinda sounds like Darth Vader… in a creepy fish kinda way."

"Give me the Karmanian," Vexacus growled, extending his hand as he waited for Shane to give into his demand.

Shane exchanged a look with Kelly. She frowned, crossing her arms.

"I am not a Canadian!"

"Karmanian!" Vexacus corrected her. "I know she is here somewhere."

Shane turned back to Vexacus.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he told the alien.

Vexacus dropped into a fighting stance and Shane quickly did the same.

"Have it your way," the alien breathed before suddenly launching himself at Shane. Shane pushed Kelly aside before charging the alien, quickly finding himself outmatched as Vexacus threw him to the ground. Shane got to his feet, ready to pull out his morpher when Vexacus, from nowhere, shot him with a beam of energy, something Kelly had never seen before.

She winced as Shane flew into the trees, landing on the ground in a heap. The lack of sleep was now taking its toll on Shane as he powered down and rolled on the ground, in too much pain to get up.

Kelly ran to his side as Vexacus stepped closer slowly, chuckling wildly.

"Where is the Karmanian?" he asked.

Shane struggled to get to his feet, finding any energy he could to fight back, when suddenly the small light from before appeared again, this time surrounding both Shane as Kelly, before pulling them away from the alien.

The two were suddenly dropped back on the ground, in a new section of the forest. Shane helped Kelly to her feet.

"What's going on?" he asked her, hoping she would have an answer. She shrugged before hearing another voice.

"Hey."

Shane let go of Kelly, letting her drop back to the ground as he turned around, coming face to face with a woman.

The woman approached Shane and Kelly with a huge smile on her face, "Are you okay?"

Kelly got to her feet before poking Shane in the arm. He and the woman were staring at each other and Kelly couldn't help but recognise the goofy grin on Shane's face.

"Shane, Shane," she whispered, hoping to get his attention. "Shane!"

Shane tried to shrug Kelly off, but she was persistent.

"SHANE!" she screamed in his ear. He turned to her.

"What?"

"Maybe she's the Canadian," Kelly suggested.

"Karmanian?" the woman asked, turning to Kelly for a moment.

"Whatever," Kelly nodded. She looked over at Shane, "Maybe she's the person that alien freak was looking for."

Shane frowned, realising Kelly had a point. He gazed over at the woman who nodded sadly.

"He's been chasing me for a while."

"We better get you back home, then," Shane told her. He scanned the forest quickly before taking the lead, pulling the two girls in his chosen direction. "It's not safe for you here."

"How do you know I live this way?" the woman asked. Shane stopped, turning to her.

"Maybe you can help me out?"

The woman chuckled before pointing to the sky.

"Up there."

Shane and Kelly both looked up.

"Right," Shane nodded. "So, you're some alien life form or something?"

The woman chuckled, beginning to walk away. Kelly rolled her eyes. It was a bad idea coming into this forest with her knees.

Shane chased after the woman, "Wait, are you serious?"

"You asked," the woman smiled, noticing Shane's look of utter disbelief.

Shane shook his head, "So, why is that guy after you?" he asked. The woman smiled and pointed to Kelly.

"It's not safe for your friend," she said.

The woman opened her hand, pointing her palm at Kelly before a light surrounded her. Suddenly, Kelly found herself back at the beach, landing right at the shore as Hunter came running down. He didn't have time to she realise she appeared from nowhere and tripped over her, landing face first in the salt water.

Tori chuckled as she caught up while Hunter quickly got to his feet, wiping the water from his eyes.

"Kelly, I am sooo sorry!" he told her, offering his hand to help her up. She glared at it, swatting it away with her hand as she made sure her knee didn't get wet. She still had the stitches and had been told specifically not to get them wet. Thankfully, she landed just out of the water's reach, and her knee was fine.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Tori asked her.

Kelly got herself to her feet and shrugged, "I have no idea. One second Shane and I were in the forest with this Karmanian Canadian and running away from some alien. The next, Free Willy here is tripping over me!"

"Sorry about that, Kel," Hunter winced, apologizing again. He was already on Kelly's bad side. He didn't need to add this to her list of reasons to hate him (yes she had a list. Hunter had found it in the cash register a few days before).

By now, Hunter, Dustin, Cam and Blake and joined, hearing Kelly's explanation. Cam grabbed his amulet.

"Cyber Cam, can you try to reach Shane?" Cam asked. "There's something going on in the forest."

"_Already on it. Unfortunately there's something that's interfering with his morpher."_

"Keep trying," Cam told his twin. "I'm on my way."

"Wait, you're bailing too now?" Tori groaned.

"Only until I figure out what's going on," Cam nodded. "I would just feel better checking things out myself."

"We'll come with you," Hunter offered, but Cam shook his head, quickly refusing the offer.

"No, stay. There's nothing we can do until we know what we're dealing with."

Cam took off, leaving only Tori, Kelly, the Bradleys and Dustin. Dustin exchanged looks with the others.

"You know, maybe it's a good alien," he suggested. "No one's ever considered that."

Blake stepped in front of Tori, smiling in hopes to cheer her up.

"Don't let this get you down, okay?" he told her. "We can still have fun."

He grabbed the plastic duck (A/N: DUCKY!) and placed it around her head, upside down. Tori let out a deep breath.

"You're right," she said. "I guess the day's not completely ruined…"


	22. Beach Party

After a while of partying without Shane or Cam, the remaining Rangers as well as Kelly were starting to worry about what could be going on in the forest. They all huddle around Hunter as the crimson Ranger turned on his morpher, asking Cam about any details he could get.

"_As long as the ship remains cloaked, we have no way of tracking it."_ Cam and Cyber Cam said, breaking the bad news to the team.

"Any word from Shane?" Hunter asked. Everyone could hear Cam grumbling over the communicators.

"_His frequency is still jammed,"_ Cam said. _"Cyber Cam and I think he's close to the source of the disturbance."_

"Let us know if anything changes," Hunter nodded, turning off the communicator. Tori placed her hand on his shoulder, sighing loudly.

"Birthday or not, I think we better get back," she said.

Dustin nodded, "Yeah. And get out of here before some Kalzacks show up."

"Thanks, Dustin," Kelly groaned, shaking her head as Blake pointed to the distance.

"You had to say it, didn't you?" he frowned.

Between two rocks, a line of Kalzacks were sneaking their way onto the beach. It seemed rather innocent, seeing as Kalzacks were always terrorizing the city or following some big monster, but the Rangers weren't going to let it go.

"Let's check it out," Hunter nodded, running ahead of the group. Kelly shook her head.

"Let's not and say we did."

Dustin came back for Kelly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along.

"You're staying with us," he told her.

"But… but… ow!" Kelly grumbled, limping at a fast pace as Dustin pulled her behind him, making sure she never left the sight of any of the Rangers.

They ducked behind one of the large rocks to get a look at the Kalzacks before charging into battle. They were working with Marah and Kapri, setting up what seemed to be a picnic for the girls and a hundred of their closest friends.

Again, it looked innocent, but the Rangers weren't about to let the villainess have their party. They stepped out from behind the rocks, after making sure Kelly was safe and sound in her hiding place.

Blake chuckled, calling down to the girls.

"Hey, if an alien freak throws and party, and nobody shows up, is it still a party?"

Kapri whined loudly, her voice rising to an irritating pitch, "Aw, man! I hate it when they do that!" She tapped Marah on the arm, trying to lead her sister away, "C'mon."

"Yeah, no, wait!" Marah said, her expression already deep in thought. "I'm just thinking about it… If an alien freak throws a party…?"

The Rangers chuckled, exchanging amused looks at the dimwitted alien while Kelly poked her head over the rock. She had never seen stupid reach this degree of stupidity and needed to get a look before Marah's brain exploded.

Kapri groaned, pinching her sister, "Come on!"

As she pulled Marah away, she called to the Kalzacks, waving them over and sending them into battle. The Rangers jumped down from their spot, landing on the soft sand of the beach to fight off the Kalzacks.

Much like how Kelly was watching the fight from a distance, the two alien girls sat down on some lounge chairs to watch their Kalzacks take on the Rangers. It was a sight for Kelly to behold as Marah and Kapri scolded their army of foot soldiers for destroying party decorations. It seemed more important to the girls to keep the decorations intact than destroying the Rangers.

When the Rangers finished with the Kalzacks, Hunter's morpher beeped once again. Marah and Kapri whined and squealed, leaving the beach almost in tears as their tried to salvage anything they could from their party.

When the alien sisters were gone, Kelly crawled down to the beach, joining the others as they listened to Hunter's morpher.

"Cam's calling us back," Dustin told the red head. Kelly nodded.

"You should probably go," she said.

"You're coming with us," Hunter told her. "With Shane off the map, a new monster to worry about and Kalzacks having a party on the beach, I don't think it's safe to leave you alone."

"But… the forest around Ninja Ops will hurt my knee…" Kelly whined. "I'll go back to Storm Chargers and maybe… AHH! Hunter!"

"No protesting," Hunter said, lifting Kelly over his shoulder to carry her back to the van. "Until we know what exactly is going on, you're not leaving our sight."

"HEY! What happened to my no-touchy-or-you're-fired-policy?" Kelly shouted. "Hunter, put me down! Hunter! Hunter!"

-Storm-Chargers-

As the team walked into Ninja Ops, Dustin wrapped his arms around Tori, whose attitude about her birthday seemed to go downhill from the time they left the beach. Already Sensei was gone, Shane had left her to chase after some Canadian-Karmanian from his dreams, Cam ditched the party as well, and Kalzacks had shown up at the beach, forcing her and the rest of the team to return to Ninja Ops and get back to Ranger work.

"This must be the worst birthday ever," he said sympathetically. Tori shook her head.

"I can't even think about that right now… I just have this really bad feeling that Shane is in trouble."

"I swear to god, Hunter… if you don't put me down…!" Kelly screamed as Hunter hopped down the last few steps of Ops, with Kelly still on his shoulder. Once she had gotten away from the beach and in the van, she had agreed to come along with the Rangers to Ops and there was no real reason for him to carry her, but Hunter was taking advantage of the chance to really get under Kelly's skin without any repercussions. After all, he was only doing this for her protection. She couldn't get mad at him for that.

He set her down on the ground once she was safely inside and smirked.

"You're welcome," he said, bowing slightly to add to the charm. Kelly smacked his arm, ready to scold him when Cam approached her, touching her shoulder.

"You were with Shane when he disappeared, right?" he asked. Kelly turned to the green Ranger and nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Mind telling us what happened before the Karmanian sent you away?"

"This Darth Vader fish showed up," Kelly told the samurai. "He was after the Canadian and Shane wanted to protect her. I have no idea what any of this really means…"

"You can tell because she's using words like _Darth Vader fish_ and _Canadian_," Blake chuckled.

"Maybe now would be a good time to contact Sensei," Hunter suggested as Cam returned to his computer, trying once again to see if he could get a lock on Shane's location.

"I've tried already," Cam nodded. "Whatever is interfering with Shane's morpher is keeping us from reaching my dad too."

Over at the table, Dustin, Blake, Tori and Kelly were sitting down, waiting for something to do. Dustin turned to the blue Ranger, still with a sympathetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry your birthday got messed up," he said. Tori shrugged.

"I know… it's nobody's fault… except maybe Lothor's…"

"I don't think it is Lothor's fault," Kelly mused aloud, causing the Rangers to look over at her. She shrugged. "What. The Darth Vader fish said he didn't work for anyone."

"That changes things," Cam said, turning back to the computer.

Dustin turned to the rest of the group, "Maybe we should get our stuff from the beach?" he suggested. Blake quickly nodded.

"Our day off is pretty much over now."

"I'll call you if anything else happens," Cam told the Rangers and Kelly as they made their way towards the exit.

-Storm-Chargers-

"Check out that swell," Tori called, pointing to the water as the group of five walked down the beach, looking for their belongings. "I haven't seen waves like this for weeks."

"I know what you mean," Hunter nodded, "I was really looking forward to some down time."

"Whoa, whoa… wait a minute!" Blake called, fumbling around the sand as he gazed around the beach. "I don't want to sound paranoid here but… isn't this where we left our stuff?"

Everyone turned to Tori. She had practically grown up on the beach and knew it like the back of her hand. She could tell instantly if they were standing at the right spot or not. She looked around for a moment before nodding.

"Aw, man!" Dustin cried, "I can't believe our gear got jacked!"

"Well, wait… maybe our stuff got washed away with the tide or something?" Blake said.

"The tide hasn't come in yet," Tori said, shooting that theory down.

"So where is it, then?" Hunter asked.

Dustin scanned the beach quickly before spotting Choobo and a group of Kalzacks running off with their beach toys. He pointed.

"Look!"

Tori clenched her fists, "That is the last straw!" she shouted. "Nobody steals my birthday cake!"

"Uh-oh," Kelly muttered, eyeing the boys fearfully as Tori took the lead, rushing after the Kalzacks. Kelly trailed behind with the rest of the guys, "This won't be pretty."

"Remember last year?" Dustin chuckled, "When I tried stealing her cake."

Kelly grinned, "Good times…"

The Rangers followed Choobo and the Kalzacks around a rock wall to an isolated clearing on the beach. They froze in their tracks when they spotted the monsters going through their stuff and wearing their bathing suits.

"Oh, no…"

"Dude, this is wrong on so many levels…"

"Tori, promise me you'll never wear that bikini again!"

"No problem."

Hunter stepped forward, once again taking charge, "Give us back our stuff!"

"That'll scare them," Kelly muttered. She turned back to the Kalzacks and Choobo, playing with the beach toys, "Um… who owns the Speedo?"

"What do you…?" Blake trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the reason Kelly was asking the question, "Dude, that Kalzack is wearing a Speedo…"

"And playing twister," Hunter nodded.

"Who owns the Speedo?" Kelly asked again, turning to the boys and Tori as they went in for the attack, desperate to get their stuff back from the Kalzacks. Kelly stayed back, thinking about who could own the very small bathing suit. "I mean… it's blue so it could be Blake's… but he doesn't strike me as the Speedo type…"

"Kelly, look out!" Dustin shouted as the cooler flew past her head. Kelly ducked behind a rock and continued to think.

"It could be Hunter's… really," Kelly chuckled, until the mental image of Hunter in a blue Speedo appeared in her head, "Ew! Get it out! Get it out!"

Suddenly, Kelly noticed the Rangers were standing above her, holding all the beach toys and the bathing suits. Hunter shook his head.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Kelly frowned as Dustin helped her up. She grabbed all the beach toys, "Look, this is getting way too weird for me. I don't care what you all say anymore. I'm headed home."

"I'll go with you," Dustin nodded, helping her with the toys.

"Why the change of heart?" Blake frowned.

"I really don't want to see Hunter in skin-tight spandex," Kelly frowned, "And with the kind of day it's been, it's bound to happen at some point."

"Seems you have perfect timing," Tori grumbled as Hunter's morpher went off again. Hunter brought it to his mouth.

"Yeah, Cam?"

"_It seems Zurgane's got his hands on his own Megazord!"_

"Dammit!" Blake frowned.

"I'll meet you guys there," Dustin said, running off to the van with Kelly, "after I drop her off!"

-Storm-Chargers-

Though it wasn't peaceful knowing her friends were out in battle against a giant monster and one had disappeared in a forest while being chased by Darth Vader in fish form, Kelly was taking this time alone to wind down from the day.

It had gotten to be a little too much for her to handle as she followed her friends around. Though it was funny watching them fight the Kalzacks on the beach, twice, she realised it was a lot of hard work being a Ranger. They were constantly trying to juggle real life with their Ranger duties, and sometimes that meant putting their lives on hold.

It wasn't that Kelly couldn't handle the stress. If she had been given a morpher with the others, she was sure she could adjust rather quickly. It was more along the lines of going back and forth between Ninja Ops and the beach and never knowing what they were going to run into. Though the fights with the Kalzacks were entertaining, they had been rather frustrating for everyone. Shane had disappeared, there was something in the forest blocking out communication and the Rangers had been reduced to fighting for plastic pool toys while they waited helplessly for news on their friend's condition and whereabouts.

Suddenly, Shane stormed into the sport's shop, knocking the stack of pool toys to the ground with a quick swing of his arm. The plastic duck, being the lightest item in the stack, flew across the store, landing with a quack around Kelly's neck.

"Three points," Kelly smiled at the red Ranger as he collapsed on the couch. She pulled the duck off of her neck and sat beside her friend. "Where have you been all day? We've been worried sick."

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing…" Kelly frowned, looking around. "Um, I know I don't know much about the whole Ranger deal, but don't Rangers usually get to keep their new friends? Where's the Canadian?"

"She's dead," Shane grumbled, hiding his head in his hands. Kelly immediately felt regret wash through her as she looked over at the red Ranger sadly.

"Shane…"

"She passed on and gave me her powers," Shane sighed. "She said it was destiny."

"That's cute… kinda," Kelly said, but Shane shook his head.

"It's his fault!" he screamed, "If Vexacus hadn't been chasing after her maybe she would have had a little more time! I barely knew her and she was ripped away from me."

Kelly moved in closer to Shane, wrapping her arm around him and resting her head on his chest.

"That sucks."

Shane didn't say anything, but Kelly could tell he was broken up. She had seen the way he looked at the Karmanian, even if it was only for a moment. She had only seen that look on him once before. It had been love.

"If you need to talk…"

"No…" Shane said, getting to his feet. "I don't need to talk…"

"Shane…"

"Just... can I hang upstairs for a bit?" Shane asked her. "The others are bringing Tori here for a little birthday thing and… I'm not in the mood for a party."

"Not even for cake?"

Shane shook his head, "Not even for cake."

Kelly pointed, "The couch is already made up as a bed for Tori. I guess you can crash there for a bit if you want."

"Thanks, Kel…"

As Shane disappeared upstairs, Tori and the boys walked into Storm Chargers, ready to party. Kelly shook her head at their excited attitude, and quickly joined them, but she couldn't take her mind off Shane. She had never really seen him so down. After all, he was a teenage boy. Desert was supposed to fix everything. Last time he had his heart broken, she took him out for ice-cream and it made him feel better.

This time, it seemed not even a party or cake could make him feel better. She sighed, turning to the back room, where he had disappeared to head upstairs.

"You okay, Kel?" Hunter asked, offering the store owner a slice of Tori's new birthday cake (the last had been smashed in the fight with the Kalzacks). Kelly nodded.

"I'm fine."

"Then, c'mon," Hunter laughed, pulling her into the group, "Have some fun!"

"I…" Kelly glanced over her shoulder before finally nodding. Shane wouldn't talk unless he was ready. Until then, there was really nothing she could do. And there was no sense ruining Tori's final attempt at a birthday party.

Kelly looked down at the cake slice in her hand, then up at Hunter. A malicious smirk appeared on her lips before she pressed the plate of cake against Hunter's face.

"The Speedo was yours… wasn't it?"

Hunter whipped the icing off his face and glared at Kelly. The rest of the group laughed at the eldest Ranger. Kelly carefully stepped away from Hunter, ducking behind Dustin.

Suddenly, Hunter licked his lips, "Well, then. More for me. Thanks, boss."

* * *

_Author's Note: Just in case some of you aren't aware, I did not make up the Kalzack playing twister in a Speedo thing. While watching the episode for this chapter, I paused at the image of the Kalzacks at the beach wearing the Rangers' bathing suits and I noticed a twister board. Looking up, I saw a Kalzack playing twister, and then I noticed the Speedo. It's a very disturbing, yet hilarious sight for anyone who watches the episode._


	23. The Black Convertible

"You hired her?" Dustin frowned as he glared down at his boss in complete disbelief. He shook his head, "You… you hired her to be manager… of this store… do you even need a manager?"

"It was my birthday present to her," Kelly shrugged. "Tori's eighteen and she needs something to fall back on in case her dreams don't work out."

"Dude, for my birthday you got me a watch," Dustin pointed to the silver watch occupying his right wrist (seeing as the left one had the morpher). "I mean, it was nice… and expensive… but a manager's position in this store."

"You have a job," Kelly smirked. "And if I promoted you, well that would just spell chaos."

As Dustin and Kelly continued to discuss the new Storm Charger manager, Tori stepped into the store for her first shift. She had been given the day off after her birthday, considering everything that had happened on the day of her birthday and how late the party had gone the night of her birthday.

Tori walked right past Blake as he left the store. She smiled brightly at him, trying to catch his eye, but he barely took notice of her.

"Hey… where are you going in such a hurry?" she asked him.

Blake stopped at the door, turning to face the blue Ranger, "Uh… nowhere."

"Do you want to go riding after work… maybe?"

Blake shook his head, "Naw, I got lots of work to do… I'll just… I'll see you later, alright?"

Without waiting for a goodbye, Blake rushed out the door. Tori stood, feeling a little rejected.

"Okay… bye?"

Kelly saw her new manager was standing by the door and she grabbed Dustin's arm, pushing him towards Tori.

"I want you to train her," she whispered to Dustin. "Just… show her how the register works. I'll deal with all the paperwork stuff in a few hours."

"Wait, dude… I'm training her?" Dustin asked, turning back to Kelly. She nodded, as if this was all normal.

"Yeah."

"Okay, there's something wrong when I'm training my boss!"

"Just go!" Kelly growled, pushing her employee forward. Dustin looked over his shoulder, giving her a look. She smirked, shaking her head before spotting Shane sitting on the couch, playing with a tiny skateboard dejectedly. Kelly looked around the store quickly, checking to see if any customers needed her help before she walked over to Shane.

"If you want to talk, the offer's still good," she told him. Shane looked up, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Kelly… I just… I don't feel like talking."

Kelly nodded her head slowly, moving over to the clothes rack. She knew that if she wanted Shane to talk, she had to look like she was distracted with something else. Shane would never open up if he knew he was her sole focus. She began to skim through the clothes, occasionally marking things down on her clipboard.

"You know, I never pictured you with a Canadian," she smirked, glancing over at Shane for a brief second to make sure he was listening.

"Kel… she wasn't Canadian," Shane muttered. "She was Karmanian."

"Right… can you explain that to me again," Kelly frowned, turning to Shane so he could see the confused look she plastered onto her face. "I don't really understand the whole alien part of being a Ranger. I'm still getting used to seeing you kids in really tight spandex."

"I don't know…"

Kelly turned back to the clothe rack, glancing at her clipboard, doodling slightly to make it look like she was working.

"If you don't want talk that's fine," she said. "I've got a bunch of stuff I need to count today. Hunter's doing inventory tonight after work."

In the backroom, Kelly could hear a clank, followed by a loud groan. Hunter had just received the bad news. She chuckled slightly.

Shane leaned forward, putting the little skateboard down on the table.

"Kelly, have you ever been in love?" he asked. Kelly didn't turn to face him. She paused what she was doing to think.

"Yes, once."

"Do you remember what it feels like?"

Kelly frowned, spinning around to face Shane.

"Of course I remember! I'm twenty-three. I'm not ancient yet!"

Shane chuckled slightly, "Sorry… it's just…"

"Just what?" Kelly asked when Shane trailed off.

"I think I fell in love," Shane finally admitted, causing Kelly to smirk. She quickly bit her lower lip as she turned to face the red Ranger.

"What makes you say that?"

Shane shrugged, leaning back into the couch. "I don't know… I've never felt this way before."

Kelly put her clipboard down and took the spot beside her friend. She placed her hand on his leg and smiled softly.

"Does your stomach kinda hurt, but in a good way?" she asked him. Shane nodded, averting his eyes away from Kelly. She continued. "When you think about her, does your heart feel like it's doing something funny? Do you think about her a lot; to the point where you sometimes forget what you're doing?"

"Yeah," Shane nodded. "All of that… how do you make it stop?"

Kelly took a deep breath, "You don't make it stop. What you felt for the can- Skyla was love. And you know what?"

"What?"

"Love fucking sucks," Kelly said, patting his leg before getting back to her feet. Shane looked at her curiously. Wasn't she supposed to be helping him?

"Thanks for the pick me up," Shane frowned. "I finally fall in love, and I realise it's the worst thing in the world."

"Once you fall in love, you never really fall out of it," Kelly told him. "Not when you lose the one you love. It's a very dangerous thing to happen, and you never recover from it. But the bright side is, it does get easier."

"How?" Shane asked.

"You probably won't believe me right now, but at some point, you're going to meet a woman who you're going to love twice as much as Skyla. Until then, all you can do is try to move on."

Shane shrugged, "I don't know if I can."

"Just… take it one day at a time," Kelly smiled. "She'll always be a part of you, Shane. And I promise you, you're going to feel a lot better. It'll take some time, and if you find you need to talk again, my door is always open, but at some point, you're going to recover from this heartbreak and you will be the Shane we all know, love, and who sometimes drives us all bat-shit crazy with his big brother routine."

Shane chuckled, "Thank, Kel."

"No problem," Kelly smirked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've actually gotta start counting now that Hunter's doing inventory."

Shane rolled his eyes as Kelly put all the clothes back on the rack again to begin counting them for real. Just as he was about to get up to go to the skate-park and clear his head he stopped. He turned to Kelly for a moment, eyeing her curiously.

"Hey, Kel… who was the guy you fell in love with?" he frowned. "I don't remember anyone special."

"It was back in high school," Kelly told him. "I was a sophomore, he was a senior."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say I woke up one morning with a huge hangover and I wasn't in my own bed," Kelly said. She turned to Shane, "Words of wisdom for you, they have a drinking age for a reason."

Shane got up. As he walked past Kelly, he squeezed her shoulder.

"This is why I act like an older brother," he said. "If I had been there…"

"You were eleven," Kelly chuckled. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm pretty sure you would have been way more overpowered than I was."

Shane let out a small smile as he walked off, leaving Kelly to her work. The red head shook her head, turning to look over her shoulder for a minute to check up on Tori's training with Dustin. The yellow Ranger was rubbing his temples as Tori gave him a stern look.

Suddenly, Hunter stepped out from the backroom with an apple in hand, on his lunch break. Tori pulled away from Dustin, rushing over to the older Bradley brother as he picked up his pair of racing gloves.

"Hunter! Hey!" Tori called. She pointed to the gloves, "You going riding on your break?"

"Only if it's okay with the new boss," Hunter teased, smirking slightly. Tori chuckled, nodding her head.

"Of course… so, uh… how's it going?"

"Fine."

"Good… so, how's the riding?" Tori asked quickly, not wanting Hunter to get away before she could ask him about Blake. He had been blowing her off quite often lately, like he had done at the start of her shift, and Tori was beginning to wonder why. She figured no one would know Blake better than his own brother.

"I don-"

"Are you guys racing this weekend?" Tori asked, forgetting to let Hunter answer.

"No-"

"How's the track?"

"Are you alright, Tori?" Hunter frowned. Tori never really bothered much with him unless she was asking about Blake.

"Yeah," Tori nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Hunter shrugged, "I don't know."

He began to walk away, headed for his bike. Tori chased after him.

"So, tell me," she asked. "How's the track?"

"Well, it's a sand track, so I'm going to try out these new tires."

"That's great… How's Blake?"

There it was!

Hunter shook his head, smirking slightly, "He's fine."

"Have you seen him around?"

"No, he's been kinda busy."

"Doing what?"

"You know, now that you mention it… I don't know," Hunter chuckled. "Weird, huh?"

Tori's face dropped as she looked away for a moment, "Yeah… weird…"

Suddenly, she took off.

"I got to go."

"But don't you want to hear about the new tires…?" Hunter frowned, watching her leave. When she was gone, he shook his head and turned to Kelly.

"Your new manager just walked off," he called. "Isn't that like… a bad thing to do on the first day?"

"You're still on the bottom of the totem pole," Kelly smirked back, tossing him a ball of paper and hitting him square in the face, "Here's the list for your inventory tonight. By the way, the punch clock just broke."

"What?" Hunter frowned, "It was working fine when I signed in."

"Yeah, but for some reason it won't register when you sign in for inventory duty… weird, huh? I guess tonight you'll be doing this on your own time."

"I hurt you once, Kel," Hunter groaned, dropping his head back in frustration, "And we've talked about this many, many times! When will you forgive me?"

Kelly simply smirked, holding a pen up in his direction. She shut one eye and aimed the pointed end at Hunter's head.

"As soon as I make this shot."

"Kelly!" Hunter frowned, ducking under the pen as Kelly tossed it. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"It's only fair."

-Storm-Chargers-

Tori sat on the bench just outside Storm Chargers. She was going through all the possible things Blake could be doing in his spare time that would keep him so distracted. Unless Sensei had sent him on a super-secret Ranger mission, there really wasn't anything she could think of.

Suddenly, a black convertible pulled into the parking lot and Blake stepped out from the passenger side. The driver of the car stepped out as well and Tori looked up.

She seemed to be about Kelly's age, maybe a year or so younger. Just like Kelly, her hair was red, but it was a much darker shade. She definitely very attractive. She was only slightly taller than Blake and, at least from where Tori was sitting, she was in shape. The brunette was pretty much version of all the models in mens' magazines.

Blake walked around the side of the car, smiling at the woman as she leaned against the door, almost as if waiting for him. Blake approached her and opened his arms for a hug. She accepted it, pulling him in and kissing him on the cheek. Blake held her close, squeezing her before letting her go.

"Later," he smiled, waving goodbye. The woman got back in her car and drove off. Tori stood up, slowly making her way towards Blake as he returned to work.

"Hey," she smiled weakly, pretending she hadn't seen the little exchange.

"Hey," Blake grinned. Tori stopped him, grabbing his arm.

"Um, hey, have you been okay, lately?"

Blake frowned at the question before realising what she was getting at. He knew he had been disappearing a lot lately, and understood her concern.

"Oh, yeah. Hey, don't worry; I've just been busy lately."

Tori bit her lower lip as she turned to the parking lot. The woman Blake had been with chose this moment to glance up and wave goodbye. He smirked, offering a small wave in return. Tori sighed.

"Busy… right…"

"Uh, listen," Blake said, turning and pointing to Storm Chargers, "I better get inside. I hear the new boss is a total bitch."

"Yeah," Tori frowned, following him inside, "I should probably get back too. I don't think I'm setting a good example for my employees if I run off in the middle of my shift."

Tori was one step behind Blake as she two walked back to Storm Chargers. She held the door open for him when he walked in. Before she followed him, she turned to the street, where the black convertible was pulling away. With a loud sigh, she lowered her head and retreated into the store.


	24. Leanne Omino

Unfortunately, even Kelly wasn't so fond of Hunter working overtime. It was fun to ruin his day with extra work, especially when the punch clock wasn't working (or so she told Hunter), but having him stay longer at the shop meant that he was in her presence for longer than he needed to be.

Kelly sat on the front desk, back to the rest of the shop, fiddling with a pencil as she waited for Hunter to finish. Tori was inside the back room with the crimson Ranger supervising him as a part of her training.

As Tori watched Hunter lifting a box back onto the top shelf, she bit her lower lip.

"So, Hunter… do you know what Blake's doing tonight?" she asked the older brother. "He told me he was busy… but when I…"

"You know what, Tor," Hunter grumbled, already frustrated with the extra work. "Blake's a big boy. I've learned that. He doesn't need me poking around in his life."

"What… what does that mean?"

"That means I don't know," Hunter said. "Last he told me, he was out with some chick. That's all I really know."

"Oh…" Tori lowered her head.

Hunter made sure the last box was resting on the shelf in a way where it wouldn't fall (after the scolding he received last time he did inventory, he didn't want to repeat the motor oil incident). He walked over beside Tori, picking up the clipboard from the desk behind her.

"So, you see, when we finish with the inventory, we make sure everything's been marked… Tor? Are you listening to me?"

Tori snapped back to reality, shaking her head slightly before tapping Hunter on the shoulder, "I've got to go somewhere."

"But, you need to know how…"

"Check the boxes, sign your name, blah, blah, blah," Tori called, rushing out of the store as quickly as she could. As she sped by Kelly, she almost knocked the red head down. "Sorry, Kel! I'll be back for dinner!"

Kelly jumped off the counter and walked to the backroom, where Hunter stood, looking completely baffled. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

Hunter looked at her, "Don't give me that look. I didn't say anything."

Kelly lowered her arms, glancing over her shoulder for a minute.

"What's up with her today?"

"No idea," Hunter said, handing the clipboard to his boss. "She's been asking me questions all day about Blake. Where is he… what is he doing… blah…"

"Well? Where is he? What is he doing?"

Hunter shrugged as he grabbed his jacket, throwing it on, "I don't know. He's hanging out with some chick, he told me that."

Kelly groaned loudly as she heard this, slapping Hunter on the back of the head. The boy jumped back, holding his head as he accidentally bumped into the shelf.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"You being stupid," Kelly frowned.

"Warn me next time," Hunter said, rubbing his head to ease the pain. Suddenly, a book Hunter clumsily put away on the top shelf to make room for boxes on the lower shelves suddenly fell, hitting Hunter on the top of the head. Kelly chuckled as Hunter glared. He was about to lunge forward to poke her sides when a picture fell from the sky, catching his eye.

He grabbed it before it hit the ground and took a look.

"Aww, is this baby Kelly?" he grinned, flashing the picture to Kelly. The red head frowned.

"Hunter, give that back!" Kelly screamed, jumping as Hunter held it high in the air, just out of her reach. He tilted it so he could look at it once more.

"Is that your family at the airport? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere!" Kelly said. "When I was really little, my mom left for nine months on this… I don't know where, I was barely two years old! Hand it back!"

"Not until you admit the punch clock isn't broken."

"It is so!"

"Lies!" Hunter shouted playfully, handing the picture back to his boss, "I punch in earlier, just before inventory, and it worked fine."

Before Kelly could say, or do anything, Hunter ran off, leaving Kelly on her own. The red head growled, grabbing the book that had fallen, muttering something about stupid ninjas.

-Storm-Chargers-

Tori ran off from Storm Chargers after spotting Blake sneaking past the front window of the store. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to follow him. She wanted to know where he was doing, what he was doing, and who he was with.

She followed him into a forest, keeping her distance, but keeping close enough so as not to lose him. Sensei had taught her how to follow enemies closely without being spotted, and for once she was putting the lesson to good use.

She ducked behind a tree as Blake approached a small cave. He hopped inside, grabbing a torch that had already been lit. Tori chased after him quickly. There was only one torch, as far as she could see from the tree, and she didn't want to get lost in the cave in the dark.

When she stepped into the entrance of the cave, she looked at the wall and saw two hooks for torches. One must have already been taken, while Blake had the other one. Tori sighed loudly. He was meeting with the red head from the parking lot.

The further Tori went into the cave, the more she noticed it had been man-made. It was almost like a secret hiding place. There were many twists and turns where someone could get lost, but Blake seemed to know exactly where he was going. It was obvious he had been in these tunnels many times before.

Finally, Tori could see the sunlight at the end of the tunnel, and chased after Blake as he left the caves. She was only a few steps behind, but by the time she made it out of the cave, Blake was already under attack.

Without think, Tori shouted his name, darting forward to protect him from the attacker. Blake jumped up from the ground, dropping his staff as he tried to stop her but she bolted past him.

The attacker, defensively, swung the staff she was holding, hitting Tori roughly in the back. Tori collapsed to the ground, blacking out for just a moment.

When she came to, Blake and the attacker were standing over her. Blake shook his head slightly before holding out his hand. Tori held her head with one hand, while the other accepted Blake's offer.

"You okay, Tor?" he asked her, holding back a laugh. Tori nodded.

"Yeah…"

Blake smirked wildly, "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you," Tori said, almost as if it wasn't an invasion of privacy. Suddenly it clicked that the person attacking Blake was standing next to him. Tori dropped into a fighting stance, "and it's a good thing I did."

The smirk fell from Blake's face as he held his hands up, placing himself between Tori and the attacker.

"You don't understand! Tori, I want you to meet someone…"

As Blake turned to the attacker, he failed to see Tori's face fall completely. Her stomach turned and she felt something beginning to form in the back of her throat. If this attacker wasn't really a threat then maybe…

"This is Leanne," Blake said, and the attacker removed her mask. Tori's stomach turned once again as she recognised the woman from the parking lot. The woman who had been distracting Blake lately and took up all his time. "Thunder Ninja class of 2000."

Tori frowned when she heard that last part and turned to Blake as Leanne offered her a slight bow. "Thunder Ninja?"

Leanne offered her hand and Tori accepted it, shaking hands with the woman.

"Blake's told me _a lot_ about you," Leanne smiled. "I'm glad we could finally meet."

"Leanne was a thunder blade champion," Blake explained. "She graduated before the school was taken by Lothor."

"So you're…"

"Helping Blake train, yes," Leanne finished for Tori. The blonde lowered her head.

"I'm such an idiot."

"I think it's kinda cool the way you came after me to defend your friend," Leanne said.

Blake nodded, smiling as he gazed at Tori, "Yeah, me too."

Tori looked up a Blake with a small smirk that made his heart jump. Suddenly, Leanne nudged him.

"You're drooling," she whispered. Blake wiped his mouth, turning to Leanne with a hard glare before looking back at Tori. Leanne laughed, shaking her head.

"Tori, if you would like, you're more than welcome to stay and watch," she said. "It's always funny when Blake takes a nasty fall."

Tori chuckled, "I don't see why not."

"Great," Leanne pointed to a spot in the grass for Tori to sit while she turned to Blake, pulling him back to the training section of the clearing, a little away from Tori so she wouldn't accidently get him by a blade again.

Blake walked beside Leanne, "What are you doing? I thought I told you I wanted these lessons to be private."

"Don't you remember, Blake? I don't listen to you," Leanne smirked. "Especially not when I can steal the advantage by distracting you with her."

"How many times do I have to tell you…?"

"You're drooling again," Leanne interrupted before pulling away from Blake and getting into her starting pose. Blake wiped his mouth and growled.

-Storm-Chargers-

After watching the training match, Tori had to get back to hers and Kelly's place before the red head began to worry, leaving Blake and Leanne some time to catch up. It was the least Tori could do for them after thinking the worse of Leanne, following Blake into the forest and ruining his training session.

Blake and Leanne walked down the beach to talk, enjoying the cool air. Blake had told Leanne all about the events going on in Blue Bay harbour and about the Power Rangers. It seemed only fair to let her in on the secret, considering she was ninja and her father's academy had disappeared completely, along with her father.

Leanne was now telling Blake about why she came back to Blue Bay Harbour.

"I was studying in Nepal when the Thunder Ninja Academy was attacked," she said. "I came back and there was nothing but a big hole in the ground where the school used to be. My father and everyone else just… gone…"

Blake sighed, turning to the older woman with a small smile, "He will come home, Leanne."

"I hope so," Leanne nodded.

"Hey, we're working on it," Blake smirked. He decided to drop the subject. He had spent the better part of his life being raised by Sensei Omino, Leanne's father. He had seen the relationship between Leanne and her father. He knew that they cherished each other greatly. They were the only family they had. Leanne never knew her mother, and Sensei Omino never spoke much of her. Blake wrapped his arm around her comfortingly. "I promise he'll come back."

"Thanks," Leanne nodded. Blake smiled.

"So, how long will you be staying here?" he asked her. "I mean, Blue Bay Harbour's a great city, but I don't see much here for you."

"While I was in Nepal we were studying family histories," Leanne said. "One of my assignments is to create my family tree and…"

"You're missing half of it," Blake sighed.

"I've come here to see if maybe I could find my mother. The only thing I know about her is that she used to live in this city."

"Well, it's a small city," Blake shrugged, "I'll sure you'll spot her from a mile away once you find her."

"I've already got a few leads," Leanne smiled. Blake turned to her and frowned. She had only been back in the country for a few days, and already had a lead on the whereabouts of her mother. It was odd, considering Leanne never knew who her mother was, never mind her mother's name. Leanne noticed the strange looks from Blake and chuckled, "I'm a ninja, remember. Sneaking around, getting information… it's what we do."

"Right," Blake laughed.

"Anyways," Leanne continued, "I figured out she used to co-own a shop in this city a while back. Hopefully she still works there. If not I'm going to talk to the owner to see if they know where she went."

"Well, let me know if you find her," Blake smiled as he and Leanne started to drift apart. Leanne nodded and headed back towards the parking lot. Blake watched her go before he noticed Tori coming down to the beach. She and Leanne crossed paths, exchanging smiles and waves.

Tori jogged down the rest of the hill leading from the parking lot to the beach and caught up with Blake. After eating dinner with Kelly, she decided to head out to find Blake and apologize to him in person. After all, she had been a little out of line.

"Hey," she said as she and Blake began to walk down the beach, "I just wanted to apologize for following you like that. If I had known you were training…"

"Look, you don't have to apologize," Blake said, cutting Tori off before he had to hear the long apology. He was actually rather flattered Tori worried enough about him to chase after him. He never really had anyone aside from Hunter who cared that much about him. "Besides, you're kinda cute when you're jealous."

Tori frowned, "Jealous? No way was I jealous!"

"Yeah, right," Blake said, shaking his head and laughing loudly. "Whatever you say."

Tori shrugged, "I just thought it seemed like you needed help."

Tori continued to walk with a playful smirk on her face, but Blake stopped, looking at her in shock.

"Help? I'll show you who needs help!" he cried before jumping forward, catching her sides and tickling her. Tori screamed playfully, pulling away from him and kicking over his head. Blake ducked to avoid the blow to the head and laughed before taking off down the beach, taunting Tori as she chased after him, trying to catch up, both laughing wildly as they ran towards the water.

-Storm-Chargers-

Back in the city, Leanne pulled into a parking lot and looked down at the paper in her hands, a little surprised that she would wind up at the same place she had dropped off Blake after their last training session.

She took a huge breath as she got out of the car and walked to the store, peeking through the window to see if the owner was still inside. It was obvious the store was closed, but Leanne was hoping the owner hadn't gone home yet.

She could see a light coming from the back room and hoped that the owner would be able to hear her. She tapped on the window, a little loudly and waited to see if someone would come.

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly was downstairs, in Storm Chargers, looking through the picture book Hunter had knocked over when she heard a tap. The store had been closed for hours, so it couldn't have been a customer demanding to be let in at the last minute for one quick item.

She stepped out into the store and noticed a woman standing outside her store. She walked to the door and the woman followed. Kelly kept the chain locked, but opened the door slightly.

"I'm sorry, the store's closed."

"I know. I just wanted to know… There used to be a Mrs. Holloway who worked here…"

Kelly frowned. She shut the door for a quick moment to unhook the chain, unlocking the door. She opened it again and frowned as she looked at the woman.

"I'm _Miss_ Holloway," Kelly said. "Can I help you?"

Kelly noticed the woman studying her for a moment before she shook her head.

"I'm sorry… I must have gotten the wrong name…"

The woman turned to leave, but before getting far she stopped and glanced at Kelly again. She turned back.

"If you don't mind me asking… how long have you owned this shop? The woman I'm looking for owned it years and year ago."

"I do mind you asking," Kelly said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who do you think you…?"

"I'm sorry," the woman offered her hand; "I'm Leanne Omino. I'm actually trying to find my mother… but I must have gotten the wrong name."

"Apparently," Kelly nodded.

Leanne didn't want to give up. She knew she was so close to finding her mother. After all, the woman who owned the store now was only a year or so older than she was. According to the paper in her hands, Leanne's mother had owned the store years ago. If Leanne was right about this woman's age, she would have only been a child when her mother owned the store.

"Is this… by any chance a family business?" Leanne tried.

"Miss, I'm going to ask you to leave," Kelly frowned. "The store is closed and I don't have time for twenty questions."

"Please?" Leanne begged. "I really need to know. Just answer this one question and I'll leave you alone. I promise."

Kelly grabbed the door and started closing it. Leanne put her foot in the way.

"Please," she said again. "I just want to find my mother. I've never met her and if you could help me out…"

"Yes," Kelly said. "This is a family business. My parents used to own this store when I was a kid. It shut down for a few years until my father restored it a year ago and handed it down to me."

"Really?" Leanne asked.

"Yes. But if you're looking for Mrs. Holloway, you've come to the wrong place… She won't be able to help you find your mother…"

Leanne looked at the piece of paper for a moment, "Actually… Mrs. Holloway _was_ my mother."


	25. Sisters

It took a while for the words to register in Kelly's head.

"Your mother?" she asked in disbelief as she glared at the woman. "You're mother. Mrs. Holloway, the woman who gave birth to _me_, raised _me_, stood by my side every minute of _my_ life, is also your mother."

Leanne looked down at the paper in her hands once again, feeling terrible. She realised this would come to a shock to her mother when she got the chance to meet her, but she never imagined reaching her mother through her half-sister.

Of course, she still wasn't sure if Mrs. Holloway was her mother, but given all the information she had acquired from looking through her father's old picture books and files, Mrs. Holloway was the woman with the biggest chance of being her mother.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but…"

Kelly glared at Leanne before a smirk appeared on her face. She grabbed the door again.

"I'm sorry, we're closed," she said, slamming the door shut in Leanne's face.

Leanne groaned, about to knock when a van pulled up in the parking lot, taking up one of the reserved spots. She turned to see who could be arriving at Storm Chargers this late after close. After all, a woman could only have so many illegitimate children.

Thankfully for Leanne, Tori hopped out of the van, pulling out a set of keys from her pocket. The blonde almost made it to the door before realising Leanne was standing there. She paused, looking over her shoulder for a moment.

"Leanne… are you waiting for someone?" Tori frowned. "Blake's probably back at his place."

"I actually came here to talk to the owner," Leanne explained. "But…"

"Kelly?" Tori asked. "I can let you in. How do you know her?"

Leanne shrugged, "I wish I could answer that… but right now, I'm not even sure."

Tori stuck the key in the lock then turned to Leanne.

"Are you fighting with her?" she asked. "I remember last time Kelly and I got into this huge fight. We pretended we didn't know each other for days. It got so intense, Dustin started to believe it. But… that might not be saying much."

"Yeah, I've heard about him from Blake," Leanne nodded. Tori chuckled slightly as she opened the door, letting Leanne inside. Before locking the door, Tori looked around for Kelly.

"She must be upstairs," Tori said. She walked to the office door with Leanne following closely behind her and unlocked it as well. She pointed to the stairs, "Just head upstairs. I'll be up in a second. I've just gotta put the keys in the desk."

"I think I'll wait for you," Leanne said, glancing up the stairs. After her last encounter with Kelly, she didn't want to face the woman alone. She hoped that if Tori was there she could keep the other red head calm so they could both talk. Leanne didn't want to stir up trouble. She simply wanted to find her mother.

Tori frowned, opening the drawer. She stopped for a moment when she noticed an old picture. She recognised the man as Kelly's father when he was much younger, and assumed the young child was Kelly as a baby. That meant the woman in the picture must have been Kelly's mother. Tori smiled slightly as she put the keys down beside the picture and turned to Leanne, "Okay… Kelly doesn't bite."

"No, but she does slam doors pretty hard," Leanne muttered as Tori led the way up the stairs.

Upstairs, Kelly was pacing back and forth, trying to calm herself down after her encounter with Leanne when Tori walked in. Kelly turned to her friend, about to begin a much needed rant when she saw Leanne following Tori.

"Kel, this is my friend Leanne…" Tori started until Kelly grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Leanne. Tori frowned as she was practically thrown onto the couch by Kelly.

"Oh, so sharing my mom wasn't enough. Now you have to share my friends?" Kelly snapped. Leanne threw her hands up in defence as she looked over to Tori, mouthing help. Tori got back to her feet, grabbing Kelly's arm and pulling her away from Leanne.

"What's going on here?" she asked the two older women. Leanne pulled the paper out from her pocket and handed it to Tori to read over. Kelly continued to glare at Leanne while Tori read.

Suddenly, the blonde began to chuckle.

"Kelly, look," she laughed, showing Kelly the paper, "Her mother's got the same name as…"

Tori stopped. She looked down at the paper again, and then turned to Leanne. She bit her lower lip as she turned to Kelly. She could see the frustration in Kelly's eyes.

"I'm going to go see if Shane or Dustin wouldn't mind having a houseguest… you two have a lot of…"

"SIT!" both Kelly and Leanne shouted. Whereas Kelly was yelling at Tori to sit out of frustration, Leanne seemed to be telling her to sit out of desperation. It seemed neither wanted to be left alone with their sister. Tori took a seat nervously on the couch.

Kelly turned away from Leanne, running her hands through her hair as she tried to think of something she could tell this woman to get her to disappear. Leanne took a nervous step forward.

"Listen, um… Kelly. I don't want to step on any toes or anything… but I came back here to find my mother and… all the clues I've had led me right here. If I had known it would cause…"

"Why are you looking for _my_ mother?" Kelly asked. "There is no way my mother could have had another kid… at least not without my father knowing."

"I don't know," Leanne shrugged. "I have no idea about your family or anything. I didn't even know my mom had another family. I kinda just imagined her living alone…"

"Well, she didn't," Kelly frowned. "I mean, she might… there's no way my mother could have been your mother…"

Kelly turned to Tori, "Right?"

Tori shrugged, "I don't even know your mother," she said. "Don't ask me. All I know is that picture I saw of you and your parents in the airport."

"The… the picture!" Kelly cried before suddenly running over to the kitchen and picking up the phone. With Kelly distracted, Tori turned to Leanne.

"So, you're Kelly's half-sister?"

"According to that paper," Leanne nodded. "But there's a small chance I might be wrong."

Tori examined Leanne for a moment, making the woman slightly uncomfortable. Finally, the surfer shook her head.

"I can kinda see it," she said. Leanne was about to ask about that when Kelly came back over to the couch, crashing on it and hiding her head in her hands. Both Tori and Leanne exchanged worried looks as Tori scooted closer to Kelly, putting a hand on her back. "What was that?"

"I just called my father," Kelly muttered.

"You didn't ask him if your mom cheated on him, did you?" Tori frowned. Kelly shook her head.

"Of course not! I asked him about the picture. Mom left me and dad when I was a baby for nine months. I wanted to know where she went."

Tori turned to Leanne, "Does my vote count?"

"No," Kelly frowned.

"Where did she go?" Leanne asked, hoping she wasn't out of line with the question. Kelly looked up at her.

"He can't remember exactly. He said something about a training thing for one of her teams…"

"For nine months?" Tori frowned. "I have a better idea of where she went."

"No you don't," Kelly growled.

Tori turned to Kelly, "When did she leave?"

"I don't…"

"When was the picture taken?"

"I was like… not even two, how would I know."

"Your birth year plus one," Tori frowned. She looked at Kelly, "And I'm the blonde one…"

Tori looked up at Leanne, "How old are you?"

"21."

"So you were born…"

"February 1982."

Tori turned back to Kelly, "You said you weren't even two…"

"I was actually closer to one when my mom left… but I've always thought of myself as a big girl. She came back just before my second birthday thought. In like… end of March."

"So, end of March, 1982?" Leanne asked. "My dad said that was the last time he saw my mother. She just… took off. When I asked why, he never answered. It was always 'go eat your dinner, Leanne'."

"So, your mother leaving for nine months coincides almost perfectly with Leanne's mom's pregnancy…" Tori trailed off for a moment, exchanging a look with both women. "Now can I vote?"

"Go to bed," Kelly told the blonde as she got to her feet and stood before Leanne. Tori grumbled, rolling her eyes as she pulled out the blankets from under the couch.

Kelly looked Leanne in the eyes, "I don't know if this is true or not…"

"Well, once I talk with your mom, maybe we can…"

"My mom's dead," Kelly whispered. "She died a while back…"

Leanne looked down at her feet, ashamed, "Oh… if I had known…"

"It's fine…"

"No…" Leanne grabbed her paper, which Tori had left on the coffee table, "I… I think I'll go. I'm really sorry about… all this…"

Kelly watched Leanne head back for the stairs when she heard Tori clearing her throat. She turned to the blonde, crossing her arms.

"I thought I told you to go to bed."

"I am in bed," Tori frowned. She pointed to the stairs, "You can't just let her leave like that! She's your sister! And Blake told me she comes from Nepal. You can't let your sister sleep in a hotel room after you tell her the mother she's looking for died a long time ago."

"Unless you feel like giving up your bed on the couch, I don't have room for her," Kelly said, showing Tori her small loft. "A hotel bed would be much comfier than the floor."

"Give her your bed."

"Yeah…"

"It's what sisters do!" Tori frowned. "They give each other their beds. When my sister needed to get her room fumigated at dad's place, we had to share beds for weeks!"

"Yes, but you and your sister know… she had to get her room fumigated?"

"She was a slob," Tori nodded, "A big one."

"Look, it doesn't matter. I'm not sleeping on the floor; you're not sleeping on the floor. There's nowhere for her to sleep."

Tori shook her head, throwing the blankets off before running after Leanne. Kelly groaned, following her friend.

Tori caught up to Leanne just before the thunder ninja was about to get in her car. She called Leanne's name, forcing her to turn around.

"There's plenty of room upstairs if you don't want to go to a hotel," Tori said. Kelly arrived in time to hear this and frowned.

"Tori…"

"No, it's okay," Leanne said. "It's a nice place…"

"You can take the couch," Tori offered. "I'll sleep in my van."

"I couldn't do that…"

"Might as well," Kelly muttered. "If she keeps this up she'll be sleeping outside anyways."

"It's fine," Tori smiled. "I've done it before. It's not as bad as it sounds. And it's just one night. Please… you're Kelly's family… and that already pretty much makes you my family."

"Are you related?"

"Thank god, no," Kelly breathed, causing Tori to aim a pointed look. Kelly shrugged. She turned to Leanne, "But, the little rat does have a point… I guess, if you are family… I can't just leave you to go to a hotel alone… after learning that our mom is dead."

A small smirk appeared on Tori's face as she looked at the two women. Kelly motioned for Leanne to follow her inside.

Tori pulled out her car keys, opening the van. Thankfully she kept a sleeping bag in her van at all times. As she was setting up her bed in the back, she gazed out the windows, wondering if she should find something to cover them or not.

As she was looking out, she spotted something dark creeping around the store. Her stomach jumped. She checked her wrist, making sure her morpher was still with her before stepping out of the van.

This was exactly the reason why she had moved in with Kelly. Ever since she had found out about the Ranger secret she had a huge target on her back. Lothor had already used her once to try and destroy the team, and it had nearly cost Kelly her life. At least Kelly wouldn't be completely helpless if she had a Ranger living with her.

As quietly as she could, Tori crept around Storm Chargers, making her way to the back where she had seen the figure was headed. She pressed her back against the wall when she reached the corner and poked her head around slightly to get a look at what would be snooping around Storm Chargers in the middle of the night.

She let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw it was only three dogs going through some garbage Kelly had left out. She stepped out from around the corner.

"Go on," she shouted, causing the dogs to jump, "Get lost. You don't want to be eating that…"

The dogs stopped rummaging through the trashcans and turned to Tori. The Blue Ranger saw their eyes glowing slightly and gulped. She heard a growl coming from them and began to back away. The dogs moved forward, stepping into the light coming from the street on the other side of the fence. Tori gulped loudly.

"Those are some creepy looking dogs…"

As Tori took another step back, she ran into one of the garbage bags that had been left out, making a loud thump noise because of the discarded motor pieces. When they heard that sound, the three dogs jumped, running after Tori. The surfer quickly turned to run, but didn't get very far before the three dogs grabbed her, knocking her down.


	26. Wolfblades

When Kelly stepped into Storm Chargers it seemed like a normal day. The customers were starting to come in, and Shane and Dustin were sitting on the couch before Dustin's shift officially started, watching TV. If Kelly didn't know any better, she would have assumed that today would be exactly the same as every other day before it.

As she approached the front counter, she heard an obnoxious noise coming from the TV. Groaning loudly, she walked over to the TV, shutting it off before Stu Starmaker drove her up the wall with his stupid totally talented show.

"Hey, what was that for?" Dustin called to his boss.

"We were watching that!" Shane added in frustration. Kelly rolled her eyes.

"You have to be kidding me! You don't watch this, do you?" Kelly asked the two boys, causing them to exchanged guilty looks. She sighed loudly, "This is an action sport shop. There will be no trash TV viewing here."

"Buzz kill," Dustin muttered as Kelly walked away. When she got to the front counter, Leanne came out of the back room.

"Um, Kelly… do you know where Tori is?" she asked. "I wanted to thank her for giving up the couch."

Kelly pointed over her shoulder, almost ignoring Leanne. Though she accepted the idea that _maybe_ her mother did have another daughter, she was still in denial that her mother could do something so terrible to her family, as well as to Leanne and Leanne's father. It hurt her to have the image of her mother shattered by Leanne's arrival, and all she could really do to keep this from truly becoming a reality was by keeping Leanne as far from her heart as possible. Kelly knew that the moment she accepted Leanne as a sister, she would be accepting the fact that her family wasn't as happy as she always thought it had been.

"Tori's probably still in her van. It's the big blue Volkswagen in the front."

Leanne smiled as she darted past Kelly to go find Tori. Over on the couch, Blake and Hunter had just arrived and were talking with Shane and Dustin when Blake had noticed Leanne speaking with Kelly. Curious as to how the two girls knew each other, Blake walked over to the front counter.

"Who was that?" he asked Kelly. Kelly shrugged.

"I wish I could tell you," she sighed. "Her name is Leanne. She barged in last night and claimed to be my half-sister."

"Wait… really?" Blake frowned. He turned to look at the door, where Leanne had just left, then back to Kelly. "You're Leanne's half-sister?"

Kelly put her hands on her hips, "You sound like you know her."

"Leanne's kind of like a sister to Hunter and I," Blake smiled. "She was thirteen when her father, Sensei Omino, took us in because our parents died. For a few years we all grew up together."

"Sensei Omino…?"

"Mine and Hunter's sensei."

"Is he a guinea pig too?"

Blake chuckled, "No… he's trapped up on Lothor's ship with the rest of the ninjas. Leanne was in Nepal when she heard the news and came back as soon as she could to check it out. She was devastated when she saw the Thunder Ninja Academy, her home, was gone completely."

"So, she's looking for her mother… why?" Kelly frowned.

"She's got an assignment from one of her classes back in Nepal. She has to build a family tree and without her mother, she can only get half of her heritage. While she was here, she decided to search and I guess she found what she was looking for."

"Not quite," Kelly sighed. "She was looking for my mother… and my mother's dead."

Blake hissed inwardly, "Okay… never mind then…"

Leanne suddenly ran into the store, coming right over to Blake and Kelly. Without taking a second to wonder why Blake was here at Storm Chargers, she grabbed his arm.

"We have a problem…"

"A problem?" Blake frowned, turning to Leanne.

"A big problem… a… private problem."

"It's cool," Blake said, looking at Kelly for a small second, "She knows."

"Okay, good," Leanne breathed, "We have a Ranger problem."

"A…" Blake stopped and turned to the boys sitting on the couch, waving them over with a serious look on his face. The boys frowned, getting up and exchanging curious looks as they approached Blake and the girls.

"What's going on?" Shane asked.

"Wait…" Kelly frowned, looking around the shop before turning back to Leanne, "Where's Tori. I thought you were…"

"That's the problem," Leanne said. "We need to get to the Ninja Ops."

"Dude, who is she?" Dustin asked, glaring at Leanne. The red head noticed the look and gave him a pointed one in return. Dustin held his hands up, taking a step back.

"She's kind of our sister," Hunter said, causing Kelly to gag.

"More reason for me to hate her," she said. "Because of her, I'm related to… you…"

"What?" Hunter frowned. Blake tapped his shoulder.

"Not right now," he told his brother. "What's going on?

"Just, come on!" Leanne yelled, grabbing Blake and Kelly by the wrists, pulling them out of the shop with the others following. Dustin quickly ushered the customers out of the store, declaring a family emergency and the store needed to close.

When he reached Tori's blue van, where everyone was piling in, he noticed Tori in the back, nursing some serious injuries. His heart sunk as he bolted over to her.

"Tor, what happened?"

"Get in the car," Blake told him, pulling him in and shutting the doors behind him.

-Storm-Chargers-

While Cam and Kelly looked over Tori's injuries, Leanne and the rest of the Rangers were looking around Ops. Tori described her attackers as three ugly wolves, and mentioned spotting a clown faced alien before passing out.

Leanne was up by the bookshelf, searching through the Wind Ninja Academy scrolls, history books and folktales, amazed by everything she was seeing. Growing up, she was aware of the other Academies, and had visited them frequently, but had never been allowed to study up on their history or learn their ways.

She pulled out one of the smaller history books, figuring it would take less time to scroll through that one. When she did, she spotted a picture of a clowned faced alien. She hoped over the railing, bringing the book to the table in the center of the room.

"Tori," she called, catching the girl's attention, "Was this it?"

Cam finished cleaning the scar on her forehead as Tori reached forward, grabbing the book and taking a look at the picture. She nodded slowly.

Over Tori's shoulder, Cam could see the picture. He frowned.

"I saw him… it!" he said. "At the museum! But… he was just a statue."

Cam had gone to the museum to get something for his father earlier, and he had see a statue of the being that was in the book and that had appeared in front of Tori during her attack by the wolves.

"Who is that dude anyway?" Dustin asked, looking over to Sensei.

"Shimazu," Sensei answered, "And ancient warlord. What you saw, Cam, was his spirit, preserved for centuries in an ancient mask carved in his likeness."

"Last I checked, dead spirit don't brutally attack people in the night," Tori frowned, turning to Sensei.

"Shimazu was known for terrorizing people of the local village with creatures called Wolfblades," Leanne explained. She turned to Tori, "Maybe that's what attacked you."

"Okay, but how did Shimizu's spirit get free?" Blake asked.

"Does it matter?" Kelly frowned.

"Well, now we've got a two thousand year old kabuki-dude with an attitude and his three pet wolves running loose in the city," Shane grumbled.

"Don't forget Lothor," Dustin added.

"Trying to look on the bright side?" Tori groaned, rolling her eyes. "If that thing can take me out in a few minutes, who knows what it can do to the people in Blue Bay."

"You must keep a close eye on the city," Sensei instructed the Rangers, "But be careful when facing these monsters. Leanne, may I please speak with you before you leave."

Leanne, as well as the other Rangers and Kelly, stopped before the stairway and turned to Sensei. Leanne looked around for a moment and shrugged.

"I guess."

"C'mon, guys," Cam told the others, pulling them away from Ninja Ops. "We better go look for these monsters before they decide to snack on someone else."

"Thanks for comparing me to dog-food, Cam," Tori groaned.

When the Rangers and Kelly were gone, Leanne took a seat on one of the cushions, looking at Sensei curiously.

"So… my dad gets sucked up into space and held captive by Lothor… and you're turned into a guinea pig," Leanne started. "How does that make sense?"

"I will take that as proof that you know of your father's current position."

"Yes Sensei," Leanne said, bowing her head slightly in respect for the Sensei. "It's why I came home."

"I understand you have returned for another reason as well," Sensei said. "You're looking for your mother."

"I think I found her," Leanne nodded, "But, unfortunately…"

"I remember meeting you when you were a small child," Sensei smiled, recalling one of the times he and Sensei Omino met up to discuss bringing the Wind and Thunder Ninja Academies together. "You've never known your mother."

"She left, Sensei," Leanne sighed. "And now she's dead."

"Your mother was a ninja here," Sensei said, pointing to the bookshelf, "All ninjas have a story."

Leanne approached the bookshelf, nervously reaching for a scroll. She turned back to Sensei, almost waiting for his approval. When he nodded, she took the scroll and stuffed it away.

"That should help you with your project," Sensei smiled. "Good luck, Leanne."

"How did you…" Leanne trailed off, deciding it was better not to know. After all, her father had done it to her all the time when she was growing up, but she always just assumed it was because he was her father. Apparently, knowing everything was something all Sensei's did.

-Afterlife-

Leanne stepped into Storm Chargers, feeling a sense of uneasiness as she did. After all, this store did belong to Kelly, who was still very resentful of Leanne because of the news it brought.

Kelly was finishing up with a customer when she noticed Leanne coming in. Groaning, she turned away from the register and stepped out from behind the counter, trying to find something else to do so she wouldn't have to focus on Leanne.

"Where are the others?" Leanne asked, trying to break the silence. Kelly shrugged.

"I guess they're still out."

"I didn't see any monster battles on my way back," Leanne frowned.

"Then maybe they're back at Ops," Kelly said.

Leanne nodded before reaching into her jacket and pulling out a scroll. She placed it on the back counter and opened it. The store was rather quiet, so she didn't need to worry about customers sneaking a peek, and the few that could manage to catch a glimpse of the scroll over Leanne's shoulder wouldn't be able to understand what it was.

Kelly came over when she saw Leanne looking at the scroll. She tilted her head slightly when she saw a picture of her mother.

"What are you doing?"

"Sensei told me to take this," Leanne explained. "He said our mother was a ninja at the Wind Ninja Academy."

"I guess not for long," Kelly frowned. "Cam's mother was the first woman to ever be accepted into a Ninja Academy."

"He's a year older," Leanne said. She had met Cam a few times growing up, when their fathers would get together for Academy business. "Mom could have joined a little after and still have met my father in time to make me."

"Whatever," Kelly scoffed. "So, why is she in the book?"

"Sensei said all Ninja's have a story. I guess this scroll has all the information on her that I'll need for my assignment."

"So, you won't be asking me?" Kelly asked. Her tone sounded slightly disappointed, almost as if she wanted Leanne to ask her about their mother. Leanne nodded.

"I guess I won't have to," she smiled. "And anyways, when it comes to the Academy stuff, you wouldn't know the answers anyway. I guess you're getting your wife after all."

"What wish?" Kelly frowned as Leanne closed up the scroll and stuffed it back in her jacket. As the younger woman started for the stairs, Kelly chased after her. "Leanne, what do you mean, I'll get my wish?"

"I won't be around," Leanne shrugged. When she was upstairs, she began grabbing her stuff, shoving it into a bag. "I know you're not happy with everything I've told you. Now you can ignore it and pretend like it never happened."

"Like my mom never cheated on my dad and abandoned her new daughter?" Kelly frowned. She grabbed Leanne's arm, "That's not something you just forget!"

Leanne turned to Kelly, "You seem to want to forget. I know you don't want to have a sister."

"Given the circumstance, no," Kelly said, shaking her head. "I don't want a half sister because of what it means. My mom cheated on my dad and he doesn't even know about it! If I tell him, he'll be heartbroken! Since you've arrived I've learned that my little perfect family was actually really broken!"

"So, just… pretend I never showed up," Leanne shrugged. "I don't get why it's upsetting you. Your family wasn't broken. Mine was broken. You had a mom and a dad and I know your mom must have loved your father, because she went back to him. She didn't stay with my dad! Having a child with my dad wasn't enough to make her stay."

Leanne tossed her bag over her shoulder, "I'm willing to forget this if you are. Tori's your sister, the boys are your family. That's cool with me. I'll head back to Nepal until I get my father back and then, I don't know where I'll go."

Kelly sighed as she watched Leanne leave. In a way, Leanne was right. Kelly didn't want a half-sister. Leanne had destroyed her family and it was something she could never accept.

But there was something about Leanne that she did like. Something of a bond. After all, they were sister, no matter how hard Kelly tried to deny that fact, and Kelly had always wanted a sibling. It was the reason she was so close to Shane, Dustin and Tori. They had created a family; a safe place.

Shane never felt like his family accepted him. He was the black sheep. His parents were businessmen as well as his brother and sister. He showed no interest in following in his parents' footsteps. Compared to what they were doing, his dreams were unimportant and child's play. Skateboarding for a living?

Dustin had a close relationship with his dad, but rarely saw his mother. His parents were still married, but Dustin's mother didn't like the idea of having a son. She didn't know how to raise him and left his father to do all the work while she took care of his sister. For him, it was almost like his parents were divorced, but loved each other and lived in the same house. The older he got, the harder it was to call his mother mom.

Tori's parents were divorced. It had happened just before she and her little sister started high school (middle school for her sister). Because both her and her sister were girls, they spend a lot of time with their mother and rarely saw their father. He was always away, always tired, always too busy. When the three of them did get together, Mr. Hanson would pull himself away from the girls' activities because they were just that, activities for girls.

And now Kelly's family was broken. Her mother cheated on her father and had another child with the other man. Her mother left that other child and never told a soul. It was hard for Kelly to swallow, and yes, she did hate Leanne for it. She couldn't hate her mother.

She didn't want a sister. She didn't want another family. But Kelly did find herself wanting Leanne to come back to Storm Chargers, back to Blue Bay Harbour.

Back home.

Kelly took off after Leanne, darting down the stairs and running out of the store. Customers could wait if they wanted to pay, hell, they could steal for all Kelly cared. She needed to let Leanne know that she was part of the family, even if it was going to take time to get used to the idea.

When she stepped outside, she noticed people running in one direction, screaming. When she looked down the street, to see what was going on, she noticed the wolves from earlier were now monster-sized, and they seemed to have combined into one mega wolf.

Thankfully the Megazord was already in the city, meaning the Rangers were doing their best to hold off the beast. Kelly took a few steps backwards, wanting to hide in Storm Chargers and take cover, but before she did, she looked out at the parking lot.

Leanne's car was still there.

"Fuck!" Kelly shouted, rolling her eyes as she checked up and down the street. She didn't see Leanne anywhere.

She could only assume Leanne had run towards the monster, wanting to at least stick on the sidelines in case the Rangers needed help. After all, she was a ninja, and she was the offspring of a Sensei and Kelly's mother. There wouldn't be a single cowardly bone in her body.

Kelly quickly found Leanne standing in the middle of the street, looking up at the battle going on. She grabbed Leanne's arm, pulling her away.

"You're going to get yourself killed!" she shouted. Leanne shook her head, pulling her arm away.

"We can't just leave them," she said. "It's the three Wolfblades!"

"I know, and the Rangers can handle it!"

Just as Kelly said this, the large Wolfblade tackled the Megazord to the ground and began pounding on it. Kelly and Leanne both ducked away as debris came flying towards them. When the dust settled, the Megazord was gone, and the Wolfblade was standing victoriously.

Kelly spit some of the dirt from her mouth. "I take that back. But what are you going to do? Don't tell me they teach Megazord fighting 101 at the Ninja Academies!"

"No, we're usually taught to deal with opponents closer to our size," Leanne chuckled. "But we need to do something."

"Yes, we need to go back home and wait for the Rangers!" Kelly shouted. "This is their job. We can't interfere! We'll get squished if we try."

"Suit yourself," Leanne shrugged. "But maybe there's something at the museum that can help."

"Cam was already at the museum."

"Doesn't matter," Leanne said, turning and running off. "There's going to be something at the museum. I know it!"

Kelly groaned loudly, chasing after her sister. She couldn't leave her to run off alone with a giant wolf terrorizing the city.

* * *

_Author's Note: I won't be able to post for a few days. I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow and I will need some time to recover. So I'll leave you with this chapter. Let me know what you think!_


	27. What is Family?

"Leanne! Leanne, wait up!" Kelly shouted, jumping over debris that had fallen off the building. She had been chasing Leanne for a few blocks now, and the museum was right around the corner. Kelly sprinted the last few steps and grabbed Leanne's arm just as the Megazord came tumbling down in the distance.

"Why are you following me?" Leanne asked as the two got to their feet. "I thought it was too dangerous."

"I can't let you go alone," Kelly frowned. "What if something happened to you?"

Leanne sighed loudly. She pointed to herself, "Ninja," she turned her finger to Kelly, "not a ninja. I should be taking care of you."

Kelly frowned. She pointed to herself, mocking Leanne, "Older sister," she pointed to Leanne, "little sister. No matter how trained you are I'll always be taking care of you."

"You don't want a sister."

"I don't want a broken family. But now I have one and there's nothing I can do about it."

"What changed your mind?" Leanne asked. She wasn't offended by Kelly, and she never really had been. She understood completely why Kelly would be reluctant to accept her.

"It changed when you walked away," Kelly said. "I'll get used to this, I promise… but I can't get used to it if you leave or die!"

"Then come with me," Leanne smirked, grabbing Kelly's wrist and pulling her in the direction of the museum. Kelly ran with her sister while the Rangers continued to battle the giant Wolfblades. Just before Kelly and Leanne disappeared behind the museum doors, they noticed the fight was getting closer and closer to the museum.

Leanne pulled Kelly away from the doors and made sure they were locked. She turned to her sister.

"If the battle continues like this we'll have five minutes before something falls on us."

"So you admit we're in danger."

"I already knew it," Leanne said. "Now hurry up. We need to find something in here that can help the Rangers. There's a room full of ninja artefacts in the back."

Kelly followed as Leanne bolted to the very back of the museum. Kelly's heart raced as the seconds passed, knowing she was in danger of the place collapsing. She just hoped that if something did fall on the museum, it would at least be the Wolfblades. The Rangers had been battling hard for a long time now, and Kelly was sure they couldn't take another powerful hit or fall. The ground shook as the two sisters reached the room they were looking for. While Leanne quickly searched everything she could, Kelly approached a box tucked away towards the back of the room.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Kelly called as she touched the wooden box with her hands.

"I have no idea… I was kinda hoping something would…"

Leanne was cut off as the ground began to shake, knocking the two sisters off their feet as the roof began to cave in. Kelly was lucky to be on the other side of the room while Leanne had to quickly roll and jump out of the way off falling debris. Kelly ducked under the sturdy table holding up the box and grabbed her sister before Leanne was squished.

As the dust settled, the two sisters were sad to see it had been the Thunderstorm Megazord that came tumbling down. Seconds later, the Samurai Star Megazord came crashing down as well, landing on top of the Thunderstorm. Its arm flew around, threatening to fall on Kelly and Leanne. The sturdy table the girls were hiding under would do them no good if the Samurai's arm managed to break it in half.

Suddenly there was a glow before an orb of light appeared from above the girls and rammed itself into the two Megazords, causing them to disappear and the Rangers to fall out. Before the orb of light was done, it flew up, striking the Wolfblades and breaking them apart. The wolves whimpered loudly as they crashed to the ground. Injured and scared, the wolves took off to regain some energy.

The orb of light returned to the museum, catching Leanne's attention while Kelly jumped over the debris to run to her friends who were waking up slowly. Hunter was first to sit up, rubbing his head.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked.

"Dude, where are the Zords?" Dustin asked, looking around. "I swear, they were here two seconds ago."

"Some light beam took them away," Kelly explained. She turned to Cam, helping him up, "I figure you would know about it."

"I have no idea what that was," Cam admitted. Blake tapped his arm and pointed.

"Think it might have something to do with the lady," he suggested. The Rangers looked to where he was pointing and Kelly turned around slowly. She gasped loudly when she saw the woman glowing brightly.

The woman smiled before turning to the box that had been shattered when Cam's Megazord came down. She pushed away the broken wood and picked up a rather large scroll.

"What's that?" Hunter asked, pointing to the scroll. Leanne, being the closest to the woman, accepted it in her hands. To Leanne's surprise, when the woman handed her the scroll, she also gave Leanne a small kiss on the forehead. The ninja stood in complete shock for a moment and almost dropped the scroll.

Kelly stepped forward nervously, "Mom…"

Then, just as quickly as she appeared, the woman disappeared. Hunter placed his hand on Kelly's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

"I guess that confirms it," Tori muttered. "Kelly and Leanne are sisters."

Hunter, Cam, Shane and Dustin gasped loudly as they turned to Tori. Blake let out a knowing sigh. He had talked to Kelly when he first saw she and Leanne were talking, and had gotten the impression that there was a connection between the two girls. Tori's statement simply confirmed it.

"Dude, I didn't know you had a sister," Dustin told Kelly. "When did this happen?"

Hunter turned to Dustin. His hand was still on Kelly's shoulder and he could feel her shaking slightly. Not only that, but he could tell from the look on Leanne's face that she was just as surprised as well. He knew it was best if they waited for another time to get all the details.

"Maybe we should wait, bro," he told the yellow Ranger. He looked at the scroll in Leanne's hand. "What does that say?"

Leanne handed the scroll over to Cam who read it. He groaned loudly, rolling his eyes.

"I can't figure this out," he said. Shane glanced over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a way to stop the Wolfblades," Cam explained, "But it's saying I need to harness an impossible amount of energy."

"Something we don't have anymore," Blake said. Cam nodded.

"I'm going to head back to Ninja Ops. Maybe dad can help me figure this out."

"I guess we'll head home," Hunter shrugged.

"Do you need any help?" Tori asked the green Ranger. He shook his head.

"Unless you can figure this out, I'll do fine on my own."

"I'll come with you," Leanne whispered, almost shyly. "I want to talk to Sensei Watanabe about what just happened. We talked earlier… he knew my mother."

"I'll come too," Kelly said, but Leanne shook her head.

"You go home. If Sensei Watanabe tells me anything important, I'll pass it on. You can fill these guys in on what we already know."

"Are you sure?"

"Sensei knew our mother while she was with my father. I would feel better asking him about that if I was alone."

"Okay," Kelly nodded. "Good luck."

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly and the other Rangers gathered on the couches in Storm Chargers. Because of the recent Megazord fight, the people in the city were still reluctant to go outside and start shopping again. The damage the battle had also caused the city meant it would be hours before the roads were cleared and safe to drive. Kelly had all the time in the world to explain to the boys about her new family discovery.

"So, Leanne's your sister?" Hunter asked, taking a seat on the couch opposite to Kelly. Though their bickering had softened in the last couple of weeks, he still wasn't sure where they stood exactly and didn't want to tempt fate.

"Yeah. My mother cheated on my father when I was little," Kelly said. Dustin placed his hand on her leg, squeezing it gently.

"That sucks…"

"It does," Kelly nodded, "But mom chose my family. She stayed with Leanne's father from the time she found out about the pregnancy up until Leanne was about a month old. Then she left Leanne and came back home."

"I think that sucks even more," Shane breathed. He looked over at Kelly, "I don't know if this helps or not, but at least your mother chose you and your father. That means she still loved you guys the most, right?"

"Yeah, but… she abandoned her other family… and she easily could have done that to me. I don't know whether I should just forget about this an accept Leanne, or be angry at my dead mother."

"You know. In times like this, Sensei would say it's pointless to stay angry when there's nothing you can do to change what happened," Tori smiled. "What are you going to accomplish if you stay angry at your mother?"

"I don't know… and she didn't even seem sorry about what she did!" Kelly shouted. "Did you see her?"

"I think we all saw her, dude," Dustin nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "She was kinda blinding."

"She just… kissed Leanne, smiled and left! She didn't say anything about her being my sister or apologize for what she did! She just… just… left!"

"Your mother leaves a lot," Shane muttered, hoping Kelly wouldn't hear. Sadly, she did, and Shane suddenly found himself nursing a bruise the size of her fist on his arm.

Hunter moved to the edge of his seat and smiled slightly, "Look, Kelly. You can be angry at your mother for what she did… but I think she still loved you. She just… made a wrong decision."

"But she…"

"You're mad at her for coming back to you?" Hunter asked. "The way I see it, she had three options. Come back home and leave Leanne, or stay with Leanne and leave you."

"Or?" Kelly asked. "You said three."

"Or come clean about what she did and ruin both her families. I don't know if Sensei Omino knew she was married, but I'm pretty sure it would have ended in disaster."

"She didn't do anything," Kelly growled. "She left with a smile…"

Kelly jumped off the couch, running upstairs to her loft just as the Rangers' morphers beeped. The five exchanged conflicted looks for a moment. While Shane went to answer the call, Hunter got to his feet. Tori was about to follow him, but Blake grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

"I'll explain why he's leaving later," Blake whispered before pointing to Shane's morpher. "We'll go to Ops."

Tori nodded her head slowly while she got out of her seat like the rest of the boys. Hunter followed Kelly up the stairs.

He caught up with her just as she retreated into her bedroom. He understood she needed space, so instead of going inside, he knocked at the door.

"Kelly…"

"I want to be alone, Hunter," Kelly called. "In case your pea brain doesn't get that, go away!"

"Kel, I know you're hurt… you said I have a brain… even if its pea sized. Will you please just let me in?"

"No."

Hunter leaned against the door and slowly fell down into a sitting position. He dropped his head back.

"I know how much it hurts," he whispered, just loud enough so Kelly would hear, "when your parents leave you. They just kinda walk off, like they haven't done anything wrong. At first you're angry and confused, but the more you think about it, the more it really starts to sting."

Hunter took a deep breath to keep himself from crying.

"But then you realise that family isn't just blood. It's the people who take care of you and who actually want to be with you. It's having someone who'll give up everything for you."

Hunter heard footsteps on the other side of the door. He quickly got up as Kelly opened her bedroom door. Hunter looked down at her face. She still hadn't started crying, but Hunter could see the tears pushing their way through slowly. He shoved his hands in his pockets, having learned his lesson from the last time he tried to hug Kelly.

"That's how my birth parents left me. They dropped me off at the orphanage when I was four so they could live out their own life. By now they probably do have other kids… or they're living on a yacht somewhere in the middle of the ocean, but I don't need them…"

Kelly pulled into Hunter, still holding back the tears. Hunter nervously wrapped his arms around her, a little afraid the hugging wasn't mutual. But when Kelly didn't resist or hit him down below, he hugged her tight.

"I loved her," Kelly whispered. "She was everything to me."

"And she can still be," Hunter nodded. "I'm not saying your mother is a bad person. I just… I want you to know that if you ever want to talk about this, I know what you're going through… and Blake does too. Our birth parents did leave us without an explanation for why."

"She couldn't even say goodbye. She just smiled and…"

"I know," Hunter nodded, kissing Kelly on the top of the head. Kelly looked up at him.

"Thanks, Hunter," she smiled before punching him in the arm. "You can go now. I want to be alone."

Hunter rubbed his arm, frowning until he looked at Kelly and saw the smirk on her face. He smiled back at her and nodded.

"I'll go see what Cam wanted," he said. Before leaving, he turned to face Kelly, "Anytime you need anything…"

"I'll ask anyone but you," Kelly smirked. "Even after this, you're still a butt-face."

Hunter laughed, shaking his head slightly before walking off. As he disappeared, Kelly watched him go, the smile on her face growing wider. She hugged herself, sensing a warm feeling where Hunter's arms had been wrapped around her. As much as he annoyed her, she still loved him.

As Hunter walked down the steps, he smiled as well. He couldn't help but feel good about what he had done, and though Kelly was still putting up strong walls to hold him out, today, Hunter had seen the walls starting to crack.

He had fallen for her a while ago, and tonight, it seemed like the patience and hard work was finally starting to pay off.

-Storm-Chargers-

When Hunter got to Ninja Ops, he saw the others gathered around Cam, who hand was outstretched.

Tori frowned as she looked at Cam as if he was crazy, "You want what?"

"Your power disks," Cam said, almost as if it was nothing. Hunter joined the group both physically and in their confusion.

"I know I'm the slow one," Dustin started, "but doesn't that mean we'll have no powers?"

"Yes, but only until I return," Cam explained.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Blake said and Hunter quickly nodded. He didn't need to know what was going on to know Cam's suggestion was more that insane.

"Yeah, I kinda like knowing I can kick some space ninja butt if I have to."

"How does giving up our power disk help us defeat Shimazu?" Shane asked. "Are you sure you read that scroll right, Cam?"

Cam sighed. He had already explained this once, but apparently it had gone over everyone's heads. He decided to tune down the genius so that maybe someone would catch on.

"We need to open up a portal to an ancient world. The only way we can do that is with the power disks."

"What about the Zords?" Tori asked. "What happened to them when Kelly's mom… hit them?"

"Cyber Cam's working on them right now," Cam said. "Hopefully by the time those wolves come out again, you'll be able to operate them."

"How can we do that without our powers?" Shane asked, turning to the others, hoping he wasn't the only one who saw the flaw in this plan.

"You'll have to be in civilian form," Cam said. "The Zords will still be operational; it'll just be risky to combine them."

"Dude, those wolves kicked our butts last time we fought them. We're not going to stand a chance without our powers and without a Megazord," Dustin frowned.

Leanne came out of the back room, wiping her eyes after her little talk with Sensei. She had gotten all the information she needed on her parents' relationship and needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience to hear from a guinea pig that her mother loved her father, but decided to one day just up and leave, but Sensei had told her everything. Leanne had just finished her talk with the guinea pig when she started her way out of the back rooms.

The doors to the main room weren't soundproof at all and on her way she had heard the conversation between the Rangers and understood what was with the power disks and opening up a portal.

"Whatever my mother did to the Zords, she did the same to the wolfblades," she said. "If you guys need help, I'll be more than happy to take Cam's place."

Cyber Cam turned around in the computer chair, "I can create a temporary power disk just for you, Leanne."

Leanne smiled at the robot and turned to the Rangers. Tori looked at her sympathetically.

"Are you sure you'll be able to fight?" she asked. Leanne nodded.

"Right now I have an urge to really hurt something," she said. "A good fight might be just what I need."

Shane turned to Leanne and smiled. With her help, he felt a little better about giving up his powers and losing a Ranger. Slowly, he popped the disk off his morpher and handed it to Cam. The others followed suit when they saw their leader trusted Cam.

"Wish me luck," Cam smiled. He clutched his amulet in his hand and quickly morphed. The others shielded their eyes from the bright light. When they could see again, Cam was gone.

Dustin turned to Hunter, changing the topic completely, "How's Kelly, dude?"

"She'll be fine," Hunter nodded. "I told her I was ready to talk when she was."

Blake leaned in closer to his brother, smelling his chest for a moment. Hunter jumped back, completely weirded out by his brother's actions. Blake simply laughed.

"Since when do you smell like her, bro?" he asked. Hunter bit his lip nervously. Blake was the only one who knew for sure about his crush on Kelly, and if it were just the two of them, Hunter would tell him how Kelly opened up, even for just a moment.

But the eyes of Shane, Dustin, Tori and Leanne were also watching him, and Hunter knew his had to keep his cool.

"I was at her place."

"For all of ten minutes," Tori laughed. "And trust me, nothing can overpower the smell of motor oil and sweat that quickly."

"Are you saying I stink?" Hunter frowned. Tori shook her head.

"I'm saying something happened."

Leanne crossed her arms, "You slept with my sister!"

"What!" Hunter shouted. "How did you get that from… aren't you my sister?"

"Blood is thicker than thunder!" Leanne frowned. "Why the hell would you sleep with my sister?"

"I didn't sleep with her, I swear!"

"Then why do you smell like her?" Shane smirked. He was enjoying this just as much as everyone else. Hunter squirmed slightly.

"She hugged me."

"You're lying," Dustin said, laughing. "Dude, Kelly hates your guts. I know she's sad and all about her mother, but she wouldn't hug you."

"I swear, she hugged me."

"Maybe you hugged her and she tried to push you away…"

"No. She initiated it."

"I believe you, Hunter," Tori smiled. Just like Blake was aware of Hunter's crush on Kelly, Tori knew that somewhere, deep down, Kelly liked Hunter. Though she hadn't said it yet, she had admitted to Tori one night that she did find Hunter attractive and if she had to choose between him and Blake for dinner and a movie, she would chose Hunter.

"Thank you," Hunter nodded.

"I believe you too, bro," Blake laughed.

"Don't get us wrong," Shane said as he placed his hand on Dustin's shoulder, "We believe that _you _believe Kelly hugged you."

"Yeah," Dustin nodded, "We just don't believe it actually happened."

Hunter rolled his eyes, "Fine. I tried to talk to her, she screamed at me and we both got so angry we had hot-passionate sex on her couch."

"Dude, I knew it!" Shane smirked as he and Dustin high-fived.

Tori had a disgusted look on her face. The couch was her bed. She knew Hunter was only joking to get the boys off his back, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight.

Or any other night for that matter.

Leanne growled, "You son of a bitch."

Hunter quickly raised his hands up in defence, "I swear, Leah, I didn't sleep with her…" Leanne face didn't fall… at all. Hunter squirmed nervously under his sister's stare. He looked at her, trying to make himself look cute. No girl could resist a cute puppy look, especially when it was accompanied by a childhood nickname, "Anna… you believe me… right?"

Leanne finally did give in, though quickly making it clear it wasn't the puppy look or the nickname that softened her.

"You're right," she said. "I mean, you are my older brother. Who the hell would want to sleep with someone as disgusting as you?"

"Apparently, your sister," Shane laughed. Suddenly, he realised how twisted this was. Kelly was Leanne's sister, who was also Hunter's sister. Shane's face twisted into a disgusted look, "Dude, never mind… that's just wrong."

While the boys were trying to figure this out, Tori was picking up the cushions from around the table. Blake, who had been laughing at the entire ordeal noticed her trying to stuff pillow after pillow under her arms and frowned.

"Tor, what are you doing?"

"I sleep on the couch!"

"You know that wasn't true."

"Hunter and Kelly had hot-passionate sex in your bed after work that one time they argued about overtime pay."

"Dude, not cool!" Blake shouted, grabbing a pillow from Tori. Tori laughed, smacking him in the face with the navy pillow, just for fun. Blake frowned playfully before grabbing her around the waist. Both of them fell over, and Blake landed on top of Tori.

Leanne leaned into Dustin, "Do the Bradleys want to fuck every one of your girl friends?"

Dustin let out a long sigh, "Since day one."


	28. Building Bridges

Cam had long since disappeared into the ancient world, and he had taken the Rangers' power disks with him. As a result, the five remaining Rangers were paranoid about everything. Shane was constantly looking out the windows at Storm Chargers to make sure there were no evil aliens or giant Wolfblades attacking the city. Dustin jumped every time the door opened and the bell rang because a customer walked into the store. Blake and Hunter were working in the back in silence. They were afraid that if they would talk, they wouldn't be able to hear an attack on the city or even on the shop (though Kelly knew that it was impossible to miss an attack on the city just because you were in the back of the store). Finally, Tori was sitting on the couches, biting her lower lip and checking her watch every few seconds.

Leanne walked over to Kelly, who seemed to be losing her patience with her employees and friends. She tapped her sister on the shoulder. Kelly turned around, letting out a forced smile for her sister.

"What?"

"Maybe you should just send them to ops," Leanne suggested, pointing to the Rangers. "I highly doubt they'll be any use to you here. Especially in the customer service department…"

Leanne turned Kelly's attention back onto Dustin, who was completely spaced out while a customer waved her hand in front of his face, trying to get him to notice her. Kelly groaned loudly, rushing around the counter and over to Dustin. She slapped him on the back of the head before turning to the woman.

"I'm very sorry about that, miss," Kelly smiled. "You see, Dustin here is my little brother and he's a little special. I told mom it would be a bad idea to give him this job but she insisted we try it out."

The woman laughed nervously and nodded. Kelly continued to smile as Dustin turned to look down at her. She squeezed his arm, digging her nails deep into his skin while keeping the smile.

"Just talk very slowly to him, he'll understand you and I assure you, miss, he's very knowledgeable. And when you get to the counter, I'll be sure to give you a 5% discount for the trouble."

The woman smiled and nodded to Kelly before she walked off with Dustin. As Dustin walked with the customer, he looked over his shoulder at Kelly with a frown. She shook her head and motioned to the counter, meaning she would talk with him when he finished with the customer.

Leanne was chuckling as she joined Kelly.

"Way to improvise."

"Rule number one when owning your own business: always have an excuse for your employees' bad behaviour that will embarrass them."

Leanne nodded, "Yes, about your employees, why don't you avoid giving out discounts all day and just give your employees some time off."

Kelly turned to Leanne, "Do you know how hard it is to run a store all buy yourself?"

"Who said you'll be by yourself?" Leanne smirked. Kelly shook her head.

"No… no way! You're already Cam's stand in."

"Yeah, only if the Rangers need me," Leanne said. She turned to Kelly, "C'mon… it'll be fun. You and I working at Storm Chargers…"

"No," Kelly shook her head again. "I'll give the guys time off, whatever… but I don't want you working here."

"What?" Leanne frowned. "Why not? You don't even have to pay me minimum wage! You don't have to pay me at all. I'll work here and you can let me stay at your place."

"I'll need to buy a second couch then…" Kelly muttered to herself before looking back at Leanne, "The answer is no. You've already stolen my mother, my loft and my friends. The last thing I want you stealing is Storm Chargers."

"Okay…" Leanne nodded, raising her hands up defensively and backing away from her sister. "It was just an offer…"

Kelly took a deep breath to calm herself down, quickly realising Leanne was only trying to help.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I get it," Leanne said. "Hunter told me you were taking that visit from mom a little… not well. I figured if we were in here alone, and once it died enough we could finally talk."

Kelly shook her head, "No offence, Leanne… but aside from my father, you're the last person I want to talk to about this."

Leanne's face fell completely as she looked down at her feet. She had to admit being hurt by what Kelly had said.

"Okay…"

Kelly sighed when she saw this, "No… Leanne…"

"It's okay," Leanne nodded. "Really. Mom cheated on your dad and you and never told you about it. Then she comes back and barely acknowledges your existence. It hurts. If you want time to heal…"

"Dude!" Dustin said, running back over to Kelly after finishing with his customer. Leanne shrugged her shoulders and walked off to the back room. Before Kelly could follow her, Dustin grabbed her arm, "Why did you tell that customer I was retarded?"

"Because you were acting like you couldn't count to ten," Kelly frowned. She glanced at the back door and turned back to Dustin. "Look, I'm sorry. But next time try to keep your ranger issues separate from your work issues."

"Sorry Kel. It's just hard to focus on customers when at any second some big bad wolf can terrorize the city."

"I know," Kelly nodded. "Just get the others and head back to Ninja Ops. I'll take care of the shop."

"Are you sure?" Dustin asked. "I'll pay attention. I promise. I know you hate to be here alone."

Kelly shrugged, "To be honest, you guys are all useless right now anyways. Just go. I'll handle the shop from here, and worse come to worse, if I get stressed, I'll close up early."

Dustin smiled, pulling Kelly in for a hug, "You're amazing, Kel. I promise we'll be back as soon as we can."

He waved to Shane and Tori, signalling to them that it was time to leave. Tori ran to the back to get Hunter and Blake. Before Dustin took off, he turned to Kelly and smiled.

"And hey, you and Leanne will get some sister-time."

"She's not working here," Kelly growled.

Dustin shrugged, "Sorry, dude. I just thought… this place is family owned… and she's your sister…"

"My dad owned this shop. My mother just worked here. This placed belonged to him, and it will stay in his family. Leanne is not his family."

"I know that… but she is your family… and Storm Chargers belongs to you now, not him."

"Dustin, let's go!" Tori shouted, pulling him out of the store right behind Shane and Blake. Hunter was last to leave, and just before he did he looked to Kelly.

"Why did Leanne run upstairs in tears?" he asked. Kelly sighed.

"I'll talk to her…"

Hunter stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Look, Kel, if you need to talk about this thing again, I'm all ears."

"Just… go with the others," Kelly said, waving him off. Hunter shook his head.

"They can wait. So spill, what's bugging you now?"

Kelly sighed, "It's still just… my mom."

Hunter nodded, "It still hurts? Even after our talk?"

Kelly scoffed, "Duh? One talk with you isn't going to erase everything my mother's done. She's lied to me and my dad. She's betrayed us, and she doesn't have the guts to admit it! She just smiled and…"

"So, you're taking it out on Leanne?"

"No…"

Hunter shrugged, "Whatever you say. But if anyone's innocent in this whole thing, it's Leanne."

"I know that."

"Then why do you still give her the cold shoulder."

"If I was giving her the cold shoulder she wouldn't be staying at my place, rent free, and sleeping in my bed."

"So you've given her a bed and a roof and you think that makes up for taking your anger out on her?" Hunter asked. His morpher beeped suddenly, informing him of danger. As he moved towards the door slowly, he turned back to Kelly. "I don't think you're the only one hurting, Kelly. After all, Leanne's mother abandoned her for her entire life and all she got was a peck on the forehead."

Kelly dropped her head back as Hunter left. She felt like the biggest bitch in the world at this moment. Her little sister was hurting and trying to reach out, and she was pushing her aside. Though she had her reasons, she had no excuse.

Kelly glanced around the store and muttered a curse under her breath at all the customers. For once, she wished they would all just leave and the store could be dead so she could close up and apologize to Leanne.

However, the apology was going to have to wait. Kelly heard the bell on the counter ring and she rushed over to help the customer with her purchase. Every so often she would glance over at the back door, hoping Leanne would make her way back downstairs.

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly had never been happier to see the guys than she was at this very moment. The second Dustin stepped foot into the shop, she tossed him the keys and bolted for the back door.

"I can't wait to hear how the fight went!" she called to them before leaving. Dustin turned to the others and shrugged.

"I've never seen her run that fast… and I've seen her run races."

"I think we should just leave her," Hunter smirked before dropping his hand on Cam's shoulder, "And we have the keys. We can lock up and have this place to ourselves. Maybe Cam here can show off his new guitar skills."

Cam blushed slightly as he shook his head, "I told you, Hunter, anytime I play the Lightning Riff Blaster I'll unleash the Mammoth Zord."

"And I doubt you want to clean up the mess he'll leave," Tori smirked. Hunter sighed, until he saw Tori turning back to Cam with her famous devil smile. She poked Cam's sides playfully, "But, playing a real guitar couldn't possibly unleash a Mammoth Zord."

"With the way Cam can rock that instrument, it might unleash a real mammoth," Shane chuckled, patting his friend on the back. Cam shook his head.

"If you can find a real guitar I'll play one song to celebrate the defeat of the Wolfblades," he said, compromising with the team. In the Megazord battle, he had shown them his hidden talents with the guitar, and they had been bugging him about it the entire way from Ninja Ops to Storm Chargers. Cam knew that if he wanted to get the ninjas off his back, he needed to give them what they wanted; "but only one song."

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly made her way upstairs to her loft and saw Leanne was nowhere to be found. Sighing deeply, she approached the bedroom door and knocked gently. She didn't wait for a response before going in (after all, this was her bedroom). She found Leanne, sitting on the bed with photo albums spread all over the bed.

As soon as Leanne saw Kelly she jumped off, knocking one book off the bed. She quickly tried to gather the rest of the books to put them away.

"I'm really sorry, Kelly," she rushed out. "I saw they were marked "Mom and me" and I was curious… I didn't…"

Kelly shook her head as she reached down at the foot of the bed and picked up the album that had fallen.

"It's okay, Leanne."

"No… no it's not," she said. "It's our mom, but this is your book… this is your house, your store… I shouldn't…"

"I'm sorry," Kelly interrupted. Leanne stopped her rambling and looked up at her older sister, a little shocked. She expected Kelly to be mad. After all, going through her picture albums without her permission, when Kelly was already mad at her wasn't a smart move. She would understand if Kelly wanted to blow up in anger and scream.

Kelly placed the album on the bed as she sat down. She glanced over at her sister with a small smile, "I'm sorry," she repeated, "for the way I've been acting."

"It's okay," Leanne whispered. "I know this has been hard on you lately…"

"It has," Kelly nodded, "And I'll be honest, I wish this never happened."

"I know… I get it."

Kelly shook her head, "But… no matter what I want… what I wish… I shouldn't be taking this out on you."

It was Leanne's turn to shake her head, "You haven't…"

"You're a trained ninja, not a trained liar," Kelly laughed. "Be honest, I've been acting like a bitch to you since this whole family deal came out."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly," Kelly nodded. "What do you have to be afraid of? You can kick my ass, remember?"

"You have been a little mean," Leanne said. "But I get it. I turned your world upside down and destroyed it. You're just trying to hold onto what you have left and trying to keep yourself from getting hurt."

Kelly closed her eyes, "Leanne, please stop."

"Stop…?"

"Stop making excuses for me. I've been terrible. I've been mean, angry, cold… and I've been a terrible older sister."

Leanne didn't have anything to say. She didn't know what she could say. She simply looked up at Kelly and shook her head. Kelly smiled as she reached for the picture album and opened it to the first page.

"Mom took me to the zoo for my fifth birthday," she said, pointing to the picture on the left. "She loved animals almost as much as she loved sports. We walked by every cage in the zoo and she told me a fun fact about every animal we saw."

Leanne smiled, "It sounds like fun."

Kelly nodded and pointed to the picture on the right, "When I was seven she got me to try surfing. I wasn't very good."

"I see mom," Leanne frowned, squinting slightly and looking closely at the picture, "but where are you?"

Kelly pointed to the wave beside the surfboard, "I'm in that."

Leanne chuckled, "You fell?"

"I did nothing but," Kelly nodded. "But every time I fell, mom picked me up and put me back on the surf board."

Kelly turned the page and pointed to a picture of a young Kelly, holding a pillow and blanket with a suitcase at her feet.

"This is when I was four," Kelly said. "I was invited to my first sleepover and mom made me go."

"Isn't that a little young?" Leanne asked. Kelly shrugged.

"Maybe. But I went and I made it through the night… but I can't say it was an easy battle getting me to my friend's house. I was scared I wasn't going to be coming home."

Leanne laughed, "Now that sounds more like a four year old. How did mom get you to go?"

Without thinking, Kelly answered, "She hugged me tight and told me she was never going to leave me."

The smile dropped off Leanne's face as she pulled away from Kelly and into the pillows behind her. Kelly turned around, realising her mistake.

"Leah… I'm…"

"No… no, it's fine."

"No it's not," Kelly said, joining Leanne at the top of the bed. She took Leanne's hand in hers, "Mom was a great mom to me… but she was terrible to you. She abandoned you and deprived you of what you needed most."

"We don't have to talk about it," Leanne said. "I know you don't like to and I'm already used to it. I grew up without her."

Kelly sighed, wishing there was something she could do to help Leanne. Her little sister had been so patient with her while she was sorting through her feelings about the situation. Kelly felt like she owed Leanne.

An idea hit her and Kelly jumped out of bed. She returned to the bedroom a few seconds later with a set of keys, a camera and a credit card.

She tossed the keys to Leanne with a smile on her face.

"Like Dustin said, Storm Chargers is family owned. You're my sister, that's close enough."

Leanne clutched the keys, "You mean…"

"You're now co-owner of Storm Chargers," Kelly nodded. "And you'll be getting paid."

Leanne chuckled slightly and smiled. Kelly ran back to the bed, jumping on the end. She held up the camera and the credit card.

"But that's not all," she smirked. "Tomorrow, Tori's running the shop all day. You and I are going to make our own photo album."

"Isn't Tori still in training?"

"Dustin will be with her," Kelly shrugged.

Leanne smiled. She reached for the camera and looked at it.

"So, why are we making our own photo album?"

"Because mom was a shit mom to you, but a great one to me, all things considered," Kelly said. "And, I know she can't be your mother now, but I can be your sister."

Leanne shook her head, pushing the camera away. Though she couldn't object to spending a day with her sister, she didn't feel right letting Kelly make up for the mistakes their mother made. It wasn't her job.

"I can't let you do that."

Kelly took a deep breath, "Do you know why older sisters exist?" Leanne shook her head. "Older sisters exist when moms can't be with their daughters 24/7. Therefore, it is my job to make sure you have your own photo album, if not with mom, then with me."

Leanne smiled, diving into her sister's arms, "Thanks, Kel."

Kelly kissed the top of her sister's head, "No problem. It's the least I can do for you after what I've put you through."

"You didn't have to do this. I would have accepted a sincere apology."

Kelly smiled, "I could have just done that, but that wouldn't show you how much I lo…" Kelly stopped herself before she said it, feeling a lot like a teenage girl. She couldn't bring herself to say it just yet. She couldn't even think about it. It was such a strong feeling for someone she had just met, even if Leanne was family. She didn't want to say it and suddenly realise it wasn't true. Even though they had built a relationship, and Kelly wanted it to grow, she was still very hurt by the whole situation. She sighed softly, "How much I care about you."


	29. Practically Not

"Alright, alright, explain this to me again. Sensei had a new lesson to teach you guys and…" Kelly trailed off, waiting for one of the boys to finish her sentence for her. There was nothing funnier than hearing the guys admit defeat.

"And we got our asses kicked by ourselves…" Dustin grumbled. He tried to avert his eyes away from his boss, hoping it would hide the embarrassment. Kelly chuckled, hugging Dustin and Blake.

"You guys never cease to amuse me," she smiled. When she let go of the yellow and navy Ranger, she reached out to Shane, giving him a noogie on the head. "That just made my day."

"It's not that funny," Shane grumbled. "How were we supposed to know we weren't supposed to be fighting ourselves?"

"Yeah, and dude, I still call a redo! Tori already fought her own clone. She's had more practice than us," Dustin complained.

Leanne handed the customer his bag before walking around the front counter and joining her friends.

"I thought Sensei explained this to you already? In a battle where there is no winner, there is also no loser. You guys would have been fighting for hours, days, weeks…"

"Let's not get carried away, Leanne," Kelly smirked, "These boys don't have an attention span that last longer than…"

"Dude! Is that the new limited edition Cyclone Helmet?" Dustin called out as he, Shane and Blake darted to the back room to take a look at the new helmet. Kelly let out a breath.

"That… I was going to give them more credit…"

Leanne smiled and shook her head as she went back to the counter to watch over the store. Kelly crossed her arms over her chest and followed the guys into the back room.

"So, because Tori's the smart one, she's gone on some mission to…"

"She gets to find a turtle," Blake nodded. He never took his eyes off the shining yellow helmet as he lifted it up and held it carefully.

"And that's why she's not coming into work today?"

"Dude, I told you hiring her was a bad move!" Dustin said. "Now, if you hired someone like me…"

"I did. You're the employee who stands there and looks pretty."

"I mean, if I was the manager, I wouldn't be running off every few days and leaving you with the store."

Kelly hopped up on the work table and smirked as she glared at Dustin.

"Tori called in sick. That's why Leanne's working in the front. She ditched, but got someone to replace."

"Sisters stick together, dude," Shane whispered.

"Yeah, it's some freaky code," Blake nodded. He finally put the helmet down and sighed, "Well, I got to go. Duty calls."

Dustin and Shane tore themselves away from the helmet as well and turned to the younger Bradley brother.

"Where are you headed off too?"

"Cam's asked me to help him in Ninja Ops while Tori's away on this secret mission," Blake smirked. "He said he would have asked one of you two, but then he remembered you were Shane and Dustin."

"So?"

"Do you not remember how long it took you guys to set up the TV in the couch area?" Kelly chuckled.

"Hey, we are now pros at setting up electronics!" Dustin said. Shane nodded his head.

"Uh, yeah… only because we read like… every instruction manual on the face of the planet… in both Spanish and English."

"If any little Spanish man needs help with his stereo system, he can give me a call," Dustin nodded proudly before the clock caught his eye. He grabbed Kelly's wrist, twisting it slightly to check the time on her watch. "Dammit!"

"What?" Kelly frowned, watching as Dustin tossed away the rag that was sitting on his shoulder and ran to the punch clock. As he punched out, he looked to Shane, "Dude, we're meant to be at that Environmental Conference!"

"Oh shit!" Shane said, grabbing his head with his hands. Kelly turned to the boys with wide eyes.

"What? Come on! I thought once I knew the Ranger secret there would be no leaving suddenly unless there was a monster attack occurring in the city."

"It's Sensei. He gave us this super-secret ninja mission," Shane explained. "We'll be back tonight. Dinner for the seven of us in celebration of yours and Leanne's sisterhood."

"But… I'll be without staff!" Kelly cried. Suddenly, Hunter walked down from Kelly's apartment upstairs and punched into work. He smiled at Kelly, opening his arms wide.

"I'm here!"

Kelly's eyes widened again, "No! Please, stay. We don't need the environment!"

"Sorry, Kel, Rangering comes first. That was the deal we made…" Dustin smirked before taking off, with Shane on his heels. Kelly turned to Hunter and sighed.

"I don't like this."

"Neither do I," Leanne spoke. Hunter and Kelly both turned to the door and saw she was leaning against it with a terrible look on her face, "I'm stuck with my sister and my brother, and they're going to be making kissy faces all day."

Kelly turned to Leanne and growled, "Get back to work…"

"I would but we have no customers," Leanne said, moving out of the way to show Kelly the empty store. "I came in here to suggest you let Hunter go fo-"

"Great idea!" Kelly smirked. She turned to Hunter and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything Leanne interrupted.

"For the day! I was going to say for the day!"

Hunter let out a sigh of relief and mouthed a huge thank you to Leanne while Kelly glared at her sister.

"You know, you're still on probation, both on the job and in my life. At any point in time I can remove your ass from this store."

Leanne rolled her eyes before dramatically pointing to the front door, "Just go! Go and leave me here so I don't have to watch you two playfully bicker while hiding your true feelings for each other!" Leanne clutched the spot over her heart and breathed deeply, "I'll be fine!"

Kelly frowned and turned to Hunter, "Was she always like this?"

"You should have seen her when I first started dating," Hunter nodded.

Leanne knew it was going to take a little more pushing to get her brother and sister out of the store. She cried out loudly, dropping to her knees on the floor.

"Go! Quick! Before I change my mind!"

Hunter quickly grabbed Kelly's arm, pulling her towards the door, "Oh no. we better go before she really gets into her role."

Kelly stared at her sister as she was being pulled away, "You know, if being a Ninja doesn't work out, she should try theatre."

"She has," Hunter nodded, "one little acting role in a soap opera about people working in a hospital… I think her character's name was Rach-"

"Get out of my store!" Leanne screamed tired of waiting for them to leave. She pushed them both towards the front door and kicked them out. "Be gone with you!"

Hunter and Kelly quickly ran out. They knew better than to get on Leanne's bad side. Leanne closed the door behind Kelly and Hunter, clapped her hands together and smiled at her accomplishment. Now, they were going to have time alone, and she wouldn't be there to witness what she liked to call "Indirect Incest".

-Storm-Chargers-

After being kicked out of Storm Chargers, Hunter decided he would go to the park. It had been a while since he had been to the park and he wanted to enjoy it.

He had been a little surprise when Kelly tagged along with him. Though they had bonded over the last couple of days and they had even shared a moment after Kelly saw her mother, he was sure she would have found something better to do with her time; such as trying to get back into the store she owned.

As he finished up his ice cream cone, he looked down at Kelly.

"You didn't have to follow me," he said. "I'm a big boy, I won't get lost."

Kelly looked up at him with a pointed stare, "I'm not following you. I'm going in the same direction as you."

Hunter decided to put her words to the test and prove to Kelly he was right and she was wrong. Quickly and suddenly, he took off to the left. Then, just as quickly, he changed directions and went to the right. Kelly however, continued straight for a few steps before stopping and turning to look at Hunter.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Hunter stopped running and frowned. He walked back over to Kelly.

"I, uh… nothing?"

"I'm not following you, if that's what you're trying to prove," Kelly said.

"Okay, but you can't stand being around me," Hunter nodded. "Why would you choose to go in the same direction as me?"

Kelly shrugged, "It's not that I can't stand being around you… it's just… I prefer being with everybody else over you."

"Why?" Hunter asked. Kelly turned to him and frowned.

"What do you mean, why?"

"I mean why as in… why?"

"Very specific, genius."

"Alright, why do you prefer the others over me? I mean, don't get me wrong, Dustin's my bro but…"

"But?"

"I don't know. I like him."

"I like him too."

"Okay… well…"

"Your question isn't going to be answered," Kelly quickly told Hunter, before he attempted to go on with this pointless conversation. "Look, after our little talk, I do like you more than before..."

"Aha!" Hunter cried out, scaring off a few pigeons who were feeding on the grass. Kelly quickly hushed him and looked around, making sure he wasn't drawing any attention to himself.

"What I said doesn't mean anything," Kelly growled. "I like ice cream more than I did when I was a kid, that doesn't mean I like it. It just means I like it more."

"What?" Hunter frowned, following Kelly as she started walking off again. "You… you don't like ice cream."

"It only took you fifteen minutes to clue in," Kelly smirked. "Why do you think I declined your offer for it back at the ice-cream stand?"

"You… you don't like the cold, creamy goodness of ice-cream? It's like Alaska for your mouth!"

"Alaska for…" Kelly trailed off as she turned to Hunter. She stared for a few minutes before shaking her head, "Whatever. Look, I'm going to stop by the bank," she pointed across the park to a building marked BANK, "feel free to 'follow me'," she said, using the finger quotation marks to show Hunter she was making fun of him. Hunter frowned.

"Fine, I'll go to the bank too, but not because I'm following you, I'll just be heading in that direction from now on."

Kelly rolled her eyes as she led the way to the bank. She needed to check her account and do a withdrawal now that Leanne was going to be living with her and Tori. As much as she _loved_ sharing a bed with her sister, it was best for everyone if Leanne got her own bed, or couch to sleep on.

Hunter walked beside Kelly, shaking his head slightly.

"How do you not like ice-cream?"

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly groaned, counting her bills again.

"Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, one, twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, two…"

"You're still not counting properly…" Hunter whispered in a sing song voice as he stood behind the line. Kelly stared at the teller as she imagined the many different ways of ripping Hunter's head off.

She groaned again as she restarted her count.

"Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, one, twenty…"

"Still not counting right!" Hunter called to her, a smirk on his face. "If you're going in increments of twenty, one doesn't come after eighty…"

Kelly whipped herself around as she glared at Hunter. She raised her hand over her head, "I've had it up to here with you. Go sit on the couch and wait for me there!"

"But…"

Kelly's eyes narrowed as she pointed to the couch "Go!"

Hunter raised his hands in defeat, "Okay, okay! I've got to go to the bathroom anyways…"

"There's a port-a-potty in China. Seeya when you get back," Kelly said, turning back to the teller to count her pile of bills again. Hunter turned to another one of the tellers to ask if there was a washroom he could use. As the teller pointed down a hallway and handed him a key, Kelly finished counting the money and made her way to the door.

"Hunter, I'm heading back," she called. "Don't catch up."

Hunter was halfway down the hall when he heard this. He nodded his head slowly and took a few more steps before he stopped. He turned around and saw Kelly was already out the doors with five hundred dollars on her person.

He knew that as a Ranger, it was his job to protect her from Lothor. If anything happened to her in his presence, he would have a few very angry Rangers and a very angry sister to deal with.

He also knew that as a friend he should walk home with Kelly while she was carrying all that pocket money and offer her a little bit of protection.

He took off, running after her, "Wait up, Kel! I've got to…"

"Sir!" the teller shouted and Hunter turned back, running to the counter to return the bathroom key.

"Thanks bro, but I'll go pee when I get back to work!"

Hunter quickly bolted outside and looked in both directions. Kelly could have gone either way to get back to Storm Chargers. He muttered a curse under his breath, wondering why Kelly had to make his life so difficult before he heard a muffled scream. He followed the noise to the right and found an alley. Inside the alley, two men were surrounding Kelly. One of them had one hand over her mouth, and the other hand held a gun to her head.

"We saw you leaving the bank, princess," the one man holding Kelly said. "Give us whatever you got."

Kelly's hands moved to her pockets before she spotted Hunter. He had walked over and decided to tap one of the men on the shoulder.

"Dudes, it's called a deposit," he said casually. The man before him turned around, ready to attack, but Hunter was quick enough. He grabbed the thug's arm and flipped him over.

The man holding Kelly and the gun growled loudly. He tossed Kelly aside and pointed the gun at Hunter.

"Turn around and pretend you never saw anything," he said. Hunter shrugged.

"Naw, this will make a good story someday."

"Hello, I'm the one with the gun," the man said, waving his gun around. Hunter laughed before kicking the gun out of his hand. When Hunter's feet landed on the ground again, he jumped up once more and kicked the thug square in the chest with enough force to knock the wind out of him and send him to the ground.

"Not anymore," he smirked, cracking his knuckles. "So, do you want to be flipped like your friend, or should I continue to give you the special treatment?"

The thug shook slightly before grabbing his friend and taking off. Hunter frowned; slightly disappointed he didn't get to fight.

"Aw man, we ran into cowardly thugs…"

"You know, I'm a little thankful for that fact," Kelly said. Hunter turned to her and smiled.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. Now that Hunter was sure she was fine, he began to laugh.

"Boy, Tori was right, you do have a habit of getting yourself into trouble."

"Shut up and walk me home please," Kelly grumbled. Hunter smirked.

"I'll follow you home, how about that?" he said. Kelly sighed and again led the way.

This time as she walked home, she felt a little bit paranoid. She knew that it was unlikely she get mugged twice in one night, but she was still looking around carefully every few seconds to make sure no one was going to jump out at her.

Hunter could see this from where he was walking and smiled. He sped up his pace until he was right beside her.

"C'mon, scardy cat," he laughed, "You're with a Power Ranger. Nothing's going to happen to you…"

Hunter trailed off and his pace slowed. His voice deepened as he reached out to Kelly, grabbing her sides, where the money was safely hidden in her pockets.

"Gimme your money!" he shouted, scaring Kelly half to death. She screamed and turned around, punching Hunter in the chest until he stumbled backwards, pulling away from her. He held his hand over his chest and frowned.

"Ow, that hurt."

Kelly glared at him as she caught her breath, "Don't do that again."

Hunter smirked, "Alright, alright… you can protect yourself. You don't need…"

"Hunter, please just walk home with me peacefully."

Hunter nodded. He walked beside Kelly, staying quite for five minutes before speaking up again.

"So, when you get home you're going to put the money away safely, and then you're going to get ready for dinner tonight. Just you and me?"

Kelly turned to him, "What? We're eating with everyone."

Hunter smirked, "How about tomorrow night? After you go shopping with Leanne?"

"No."

"C'mon, Kel! A walk in the park, ice-cream… or hate of ice-cream… this was practically a date."

"Exactly. It was practically a date, which means is practically wasn't…"

Kelly had to keep her composure. She had to make it look like she wasn't thrilled that Hunter was asking her out. She didn't know why she had to hide her feelings, but there was some little voice telling her it would be wrong, very wrong to let Hunter know how she felt. It would be wrong to give in and let herself fall in love again.

After all, it didn't work out the first time.

Hunter grabbed her hands, causing her heart to soar on the inside, but on the outside, Kelly frowned.

"Please, Kel. Just one date. If you don't like me after that, I'll let you hate me again."

"No."

"How about we double? I'll get Blake to man up and ask Tori and that way there is less pressure."

"No."

"Triple!"

"With who? Shane and Dustin?"

"If you want," Hunter frowned. "I'm sure with a little convincing they would…"

"Hunter… The answer's no. Now please, let go of my hand."

Reluctantly, Hunter let go of Kelly's hand and watched as she walked off without him. He kicked a pebble on the sidewalk and tried to ignore the feeling of rejection and pain before following Kelly back to Storm Chargers.


	30. Dinner for the Sisters

After a long day of searching for a tiny stone turtle, Tori was exhausted. She had walked right past Shane in the parking lot, didn't say hello to Dustin, Blake and Hunter as they locked up Storm Chargers and almost squished Leanne against the couch as she collapsed in her bed.

Thankfully, Leanne had seen the water ninja before it was too late and jumped up from the couch so Tori could lie down. Over in the kitchenette, Kelly heard the blue Ranger was home from her day out and turned.

"Well, you made it just in time," she smirked. "We're just about to head out."

Tori groaned loudly as she grabbed her pillow from under the couch and slammed it against her own face, "Out where?"

"Our sister dinner," Leanne said, pulling the pillow up. "It was your idea, remember?"

"That means I have to go, doesn't it?" Tori asked. Leanne nodded slowly, trying to hide the smile on her face. Tori grumbled. "But I just got home and you won't believe how exhausted I am!"

"Get ready," Leanne told her, pulling Tori out of the couch, hoping it would motivate her. Tori decided to play jelly-baby and flopped back down on the couch. Leanne rolled her eyes before she knelt down beside Tori and whispered in her ear, "Get ready fast. In the car I'll tell you all about Hunter and Kelly's date."

This seemed to wake Tori up instantly as she bounced up from the couch. She turned around, leaning against the back of the couch to stare at Kelly in the kitchen.

"You and Hunter went on a date?"

Alarmed, Kelly turned swiftly to the young girl, "What? Where did you…?" Kelly trailed off when she heard Leanne whistling and noticed her sister was looking around the room, avoiding any eye contact. Kelly growled, "Leanne…"

"What? Walk in the park, he rescued you when you were mugged… date!"

"You were mugged?" Tori frowned. Kelly waved it off.

"I left the bank with a handful of cash on me and some punks thought they could take it."

"Aw, and Hunter saved her?" Tori asked, turning to Leanne who nodded. She cooed loudly, "Kelly, that's so cute! It's your first date!"

"It's not a date, okay?" Kelly said. She pointed to her bedroom, "Now go get changed, we're already going to be late!"

Tori hopped up off the couch and started to the bedroom. Before she closed the door Leanne called out, "I'll tell you more in the car!"

"Leanne!" Kelly shouted. Leanne looked to her sister and shrugged.

"It's cute."

-Storm-Chargers-

The three girls arrived at the restaurant and found all the boys at their table. Quickly, they grabbed their seats and sat down. While Kelly apologized for being late, Leanne and Tori glanced over at Hunter and giggled. Hunter frowned as he heard this and checked his shirt to make sure he hadn't already spilt something on it.

The waiter came over when he saw the table was finally filled up and took the drink orders. When he left Shane decided to kick off the conversation.

"So, my brother's coming into town…"

"Porter?" Tori asked. "How is he?"

Shane shook his head and sighed, "I wouldn't know."

"You don't sound too thrilled about this, bro," Hunter said while noticing Shane's depressed look.

"I wouldn't blame him," Blake teased, earning a light smack on the head from Hunter. Blake let out another small laugh before turning to Shane, "Seriously, what's the matter?"

"It's nothing… he's like, the perfect son," Shane explained as he started playing with his fork. "He's successful, he's got the perfect job, a nice house and… he's not much into skateboarding."

"Why doesn't he try motocross?" Dustin joked trying to bring up the mood. He knew Shane's relationship with his family was a little strained. The Red Ranger always tried to avoid talking about them. He always felt ousted by his parents, his brother and his sister because they were so successful and so focused on their careers.

Shane looked across the table at Dustin, "Not the point, dude."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Kelly smiled comfortingly. "If things get bad just bring him over to Storm Chargers. He can't put you down with all of us there."

"Thanks, Kel," Shane smiled.

"On that depressing note," Blake said, turning to Kelly and Leanne, "So, sisters?"

"Yeah, apparently."

"I don't want to talk about that," Tori smirked as she looked at Kelly and Hunter, "I want to know more about this date you guys went on."

"Hey, hey," Kelly frowned, "No, this is a dinner for me and Leanne. Not me and Hunter… not that there is a me and Hunter, because there isn't!"

Kelly turned to Hunter and gave him a sharp look. Hunter nodded his head hesitantly in confirmation before Kelly continued.

"It would be unfair to steal the spotlight away from Leanne."

Leanne leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest as she thought for a moment. Suddenly, she shook her head.

"No, no. I want to know more about this date too. So, was there any kissing?"

"No," Kelly growled. Hunter bit his lip hoping he would turn invisible. For him, it was awkward to have this discussion about him and Kelly. He had feelings for her; strong feelings, and he knew these feelings weren't just going to go away. While they had been out at the park and the bank, he thought Kelly returned those feelings. The way she followed him all day long and the way she was practically clinging to him right after the thieves tried to mug her only backed up his feelings. In a matter of seconds, he had mustered up the courage and made himself very vulnerable by asking her out on an official date.

He knew he ran the risk of her saying no. Their relationship had started out with her hating him passionately because of what he did, and even though everything was in the clear, Kelly did still hold onto some of those feelings. It seemed like she was finding it hard to let go of the past and try to connect with him. But he assumed Kelly would let him down easy. Even if there were hateful feelings for him, he thought she would at least be humane about the whole situation.

But she had rejected him. A simple no before walking off. She didn't give him a reason, or even an apology.

"C'mon, it's not a date if there isn't a kiss," Tori smirked. Kelly turned to her, shaking her head.

"Exactly. No kissing, no date! End of story."

The waiter arrived back at the table with a tray of drinks in his hand, breaking up the conversation. He set them down in front of the group and pulled out a pen and notepad.

"Are you ready to order?"

The seven glanced down at their menus. Dustin scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Sorry, dude, we haven't even looked at these things."

The waiter nodded and took off after promising to return in a few minutes. Tori glanced at her menu quickly before looking back at Kelly. Before she could say anything, Kelly held up her hand. Tori closed her mouth and leaned back in her seat just as Kelly leaned forward.

"What about you and Blake?" she countered. "How are things going there?"

The two blue Rangers blushed madly and the conversation about relationships ended just like that. There was an awkward silence at the table, which gave everyone time to check out the menus and figure out what they wanted.

After a moment, Leanne looked up at the table, "Well, I have good news."

"What's that?" Hunter asked. Leanne set her menu down on the table and reached into her pants pocket for a piece of paper. She unfolded it and set it down in the middle of the table for everyone to see.

"It's just a rough copy, but it's my family tree," she smiled. "Sensei Watanabe gave me a bunch of books about my mother's time at the Wind and Thunder Ninja Academy."

"And I helped her with her ancestry," Kelly added.

"It's finally complete. I'm going to mail it back to the Academy in Nepal once it's done."

Hunter smiled as he pat his sister on the back, having to reach over Kelly to do so.

"That's great, Anna."

"Yeah… then I might drop the course."

Kelly, Hunter and Blake nearly spit out their drinks as they turned to Leanne, completely shocked. Hunter and Blake knew that getting into the Academy at Nepal was no easy task. It was reserved only for the best of the best Ninjas who were looking to pursue their ninja training after graduation at a regular Academy. Not only that, but only a few select people knew of the exact location of the Nepal Academy, because only a few select people knew of the Academy. That was the sole reason it had yet to be taken by Lothor.

Ninjas who went to study in Nepal were given the chance of a lifetime. Many students trained for years, never leaving Academy grounds for any reason. They severed all their ties to the real world and focused on their studies. Had it not been for the family project Leanne had been assigned, she wouldn't have left Nepal for another five years.

Kelly was shocked to hear this for the same reason. She knew little about the Nepal Academy, but already understood that getting into it was next to impossible for a Ninja, and graduating from it would be a huge honour among Ninjas.

"Why… why would you do that?" Blake asked his sister. Leanne shrugged.

"I don't know. It feels weird knowing I have to leave here at some point."

"But that'll still be a while," Kelly frowned. "You told me you were staying until your father came back. The only way that'll happen is if these guys defeat Lothor."

"No pressure," Dustin muttered. Shane kicked him under the table and pointed a look at him. Dustin shut up and took a drink from his glass. Now was not the time for comments.

"Leanne, why would you give this up?" Hunter asked. "You've got a few years ahead of you, yes, but we'll all still be here when you get back."

"I know… but, I mean, I just found my family…"

"You mean me?" Kelly frowned. She turned to Leanne and grabbed her hand gently, "Leanne, I want what's best for you. I don't care how long you're gone; we'll still be sisters when you get back."

"Yeah, but after everything that's happened between us to get to this point, it feels like I'll have just come to change your life and then leave."

"But you changed it for the better… kinda…" Kelly said. She looked at her sister, "We're over that whole broken family thing. When you get back, we'll be sisters."

"How about you think about it?" Blake suggested. "I mean, Nepal knows you're taking time off. When it's closer to your return date, you can come to a decision then. But this isn't something you should just… ditch."

"Whatever you choose to do, we're all behind you," Hunter said, reaching over to place his hand on Blake's shoulder, while the other arm wrapped itself around Kelly.

Kelly felt her heart flutter when Hunter touched her. She could feel her stomach turning and her cheeks becoming red. For a quick moment, she imagined herself leaning back into his strong chest as he held her tight. She could almost smell his aftershave as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, a feeling of panic came over her. She opened her eyes and threw Hunter's arm away from her. She pushed herself away from the table and ran to the bathroom.

The others watched her leave for a moment, exchanging confused stares.

Hunter threw his hands up, "I knew she wasn't going to like it, but I thought the worst she could do was punch me."

"That was odd," Tori nodded.

"You'd think she put her hate for you aside to help Leanne," Shane pointed out. Dustin pushed his chair away from the table.

"I'll go see what's up."

"One problem," Leanne said, pushing her chair away as well, "She's in the women's washroom."

Dustin nodded, taking his seat again, "Good point. This is obviously your problem."

Tori grabbed Leanne's shoulder, sitting her back down, "I'll go talk to her. I know you guys are sisters, but I have known her longer. If something's bothering her…"

Leanne nodded and took her spot at the table. Tori squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Just, enjoy the dinner," she said. "I'll bring her back as soon as I can."

Tori rushed off to the washroom, leaving the others at the table. Another awkward silence passed before Dustin brought up the topic of his last race and how he came so close to winning.

In the washroom, Tori found Kelly leaning against the sink. She walked over to her friend and frowned.

"What was that?" she asked. "You totally freaked out."

Kelly looked down at her young friend and sighed, "It was nothing… just, go back out there."

"Are you sure?" Tori frowned. "You had us all really worried. Hunter even looked a little hurt."

"I'm sorry," Kelly said. "Now just go. I want to be alone."

"I… uh… O-okay…" Tori said as she turned to the door. She hesitated to open it, and thankfully she did. Kelly suddenly looked up and called for her weakly. Tori spun around. "Yeah?"

Kelly looked at Tori and suddenly felt guilty. Tori was too young to deal with this problem. She had only just turned eighteen. Aside from Blake, she was the baby of the group. She shook her head.

"Never mind."

"Kel, if you want to talk, I'm more than happy to listen."

"It's nothing you want to hear."

"Maybe not… but… are you sure?" Tori asked. She stepped closer to Kelly, "You look really upset. Is it the mugging?"

"No, it's not the mugging. That's not bugging me."

"Is it Hunter?" Tori asked. She knew Hunter was a good guy. He was a little brooding and sometimes a pain in the ass, especially to her (he didn't want her to date his baby brother), but he was great guy. However, with the relationship between Kelly and Hunter, Tori thought it best not to rule out the possibility that maybe Hunter had done something, or said something to hurt Kelly; intentionally or not.

Kelly shook her head, "No… it's not Hunter… not exactly."

"Well, what is it, exactly?" Tori pressed.

Kelly took a deep breath, "I was a sophomore…"


	31. Haunted Memories

Tori's eyes were wide as Kelly told her the story of the time she first fell in love. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Kelly had only been fourteen when she met Drew. He was captain of every sports team in the high school and he was the one boy every girl loved. At that time, he was only a junior, and Kelly only had a small crush on him. While she was getting used to the High School routine, he would hang around the halls or in the cafeteria and talk with his friends. In her freshman year, Kelly tried out for many sports teams, and always watched Drew out on the field as he practiced with his teams.

As the year progressed, Kelly found herself becoming more and more attracted to him. Come summer vacation, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She met up with him a few times every week over the summer break when they would cross paths at the football field or in sport's stores.

When Kelly started her sophomore year, she had already created a little relationship with him. She would now say hi to him when she saw him in the hallway, and he would always say hi back. The relationship went a little further when Kelly needed a little help to stay on her school's girl football team. Drew had seen her struggling on the field while he was also practicing and one day, after practice, he offered to help her out.

The practice sessions would happen every Saturday for two hours. Drew would stop by her place to pick her up in the new convertible his parents bought him, and he would drive her to the closest football field.

This continued until Kelly turned sixteen and was allowed to get her own driver's license. Drew, who had now become a close friend, wanted to help her out with her driving test. When she got her learner's permit, he would help her with her driving by offering his car whenever he could. On Saturdays he would pick up Kelly, and he would let her drive to the football field and back home. Occasionally, he would take Kelly out to lunch at school and he would let her drive up to the plaza.

Their relationship grew all year until Kelly fell in love, and when it finally came time for prom, Drew decided he would ask Kelly to be his date. Of course, many of the senior girls were disappointed, and some even decided to pick on Kelly because of it, but Drew stood up for her, only causing Kelly to fall harder for him.

Prom night was where everything came crashing down.

He picked her up in his convertible at eight wearing a tuxedo and holding a corset. He re-introduced himself to her father and acted like a perfect gentleman. He shook Mr. Holloway's hand and discussed sport's until Kelly came down from her room, wearing a stunning dress.

Drew had told her she looked beautiful and slid the corset onto her wrist. He held his arm out for her to take and led her to the door. Before they left, Mr. Holloway stepped in and gave them both a warning about this night. He realised his daughter was still young and the age difference between her and her date was rather large for their age and wanted to make sure that Drew knew to behave.

Drew listened well and assured Mr. Holloway that he would never do anything to hurt Kelly.

He had lived up to that promise until after-prom came around. Kelly wasn't allowed to attend. She still had school the next morning and wasn't really supposed to be out. However, Drew had convinced her to go.

The lack of supervision made the after-prom a total disaster in Kelly's eyes. There were beer bottles everywhere, not to mention the dozens of kids doing drugs Kelly didn't know the name of. She had told Drew she wasn't feeling safe at this party and she wanted to go home, but Drew didn't listen.

"_Here,"_ he told her, offering her a beer bottle, _"Drink this, you'll be fine."_

Kelly knew not to take the drink. She was well underage and she knew the troubles of drinking alcohol. But Drew had insisted she try it.

"_One bottle, baby, and you'll be having fun in no time!"_

Drew had never given Kelly a reason not to trust him so she drank. She finished the bottle quickly to get it out of her hands.

"_I'm done,"_ she told Drew, tossing the bottle away. _"I still don't feel good. Can you take me home now?"_

Drew shook his head and shoved another bottle in her hands, _"C'mon, baby. Loosen up a little. You have to give it time to take effect. Just drink this and you'll be fine."_

Kelly downed the next bottle and soon, Drew offered her another, and another, and another, until Kelly could barely keep herself from falling over. By this time, Drew was drunk himself, and he wasn't able to contain himself.

"_You know, baby, you look really cute in that dress,"_ he had whispered to her, pulling her in close to his body. Though Kelly was drunk, she still knew this was wrong. She tried to push him away, but he pulled her back in. He was a lot stronger than she was, especially when they both had been drinking. Kelly's body wasn't used to the alcohol, making her feel sick and weak, while Drew had obviously partied like this before. His grip was normally strong, but it was a gentle kinda of strong; a strong that made her feel safe. Now, though, she didn't feel safe at all.

"_Drew… I really don't feel good. Can we just go home?"_

"_Oh, c'mon, baby, loosen up. Have fun. This only happens once!"_

Drew pushed her into a wall and pressed himself against her. He leaned in for a kiss and Kelly couldn't stop it.

She figured if she let him kiss her, maybe he would stop there. However, Drew didn't. His hands moved to her waist, holding her against the wall. Kelly felt him pushing slightly and tried pushing his hands away. Drew laughed, holding her hands in his. Kelly shoved him, managing to get him to take a step back.

Drew growled playfully and pushed back, pinning Kelly's hands against the wall as he started kissing her again.

Just when Kelly thought things couldn't get any worse, a very drunk Johnny hopped up on a table, holding up a beer bottle in one hand and a joint in the other. He pointed to Kelly and Drew.

"_Oooh! Looks like someone's to score tonight!"_ he had shouted, drawing attention to Kelly and Drew. Suddenly, the wrestling team and the football team surrounded them.

Drew continued to kiss Kelly, but let go of her hands. He unbuttoned his shirt and ripped it off, tossing it into the crowd of people watching. He wrapped his arms around Kelly's waist, pulling her in again. Kelly tried to pull away, but he picked her up.

Johnny laughed and pointed to a door, _"Bedroom's over there! Have fun, Captain Drew!"_

All Kelly could remember after that was what happened the next morning. She woke up in bed, beside Drew with the biggest headache she's ever had. Both her dress and his pants were on the floor. She crawled out of bed and grabbed her dress. As she slid it on Drew began to stir.

"_Hey, baby. Last night was great."_

Kelly didn't know what else to say. She nodded, _"Yeah, Drew…"_

Drew pulled himself out of bed and walked up to Kelly, fully naked. He brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her.

"_I don't think I've ever loved anyone like I love you."_

Kelly began to shake as she remained silent. Drew looked down at her, completely hurt.

"_Baby? Do you love me?"_

Kelly's eyes began to water as she stepped back. She reached for the doorknob and opened the door slowly. She looked out at the other room and saw every other party guest sprawled on the floor, completely passed out. She turned back to Drew.

"_I did."_

Tori's eyes watered as Kelly finished her story. She reached out to touch Kelly.

"I'm so sorry."

Kelly shook her head, "Don't be… it was my fault. I feel for him and trusted him. If I had just…"

"Kelly, this isn't your fault… not completely anyways…"

Tori trailed off as a thought occurred. She looked back at Kelly.

"Kelly?"

Kelly nodded, "Yeah?"

"Is this why you don't trust Hunter?"

Kelly looked up slowly and shrugged, "At first, no."

"Well, at first it was obvious," Tori nodded. "You thought he really hurt you. But I mean, after that, once we told you the truth?"

"Still, no," Kelly breathed. She looked at Tori, "Just, drop it, okay?"

"No… I… I want to know what's got you so scared. Hunter's a great guy…"

"He's already hurt me once!" Kelly shouted, slamming her fist against the counter and causing Tori to jump back slightly. "He's already proven he can overpower me! If I let my guard down, who's to say he won't do it again?"

Kelly's eyes widened when she realised what she had done. She turned away from Tori, ashamed.

"Just… go away…" she breathed. Tori stepped forward, wanting to comfort her friend, but Kelly pulled away. "Go away!"

Tori rushed out of the bathroom and ran to the table. The boys and Leanne noticed her coming over, and couldn't mistake the look of panic and worry on her face.

Tori ran right over to Leanne's seat and whispered something in her ear. Leanne's face immediately dropped as she got up from her seat.

"Take everything to go," she told the boys, "Dinner's over."

"What?" Blake asked as the waiter arrived with everyone's food. "What's going on?"

Dustin looked at Tori, "What happened?"

"We'll talk later," Tori told him. She looked at the waiter, "Could you pack this all up for us? I'm really sorry."

The waiter could sense there was a problem at the table and quickly took the meals back to be packed up. The boys waited at the table for the food and the bill while Tori and Leanne rushed back to the washroom.

When they got inside they saw a little girl standing in the middle of the room, staring at Kelly who by now was on the floor sobbing. Tori ushered the girl into a stall while Leanne rushed over to her sister, dropping by her side.

"Kelly, what happened?"

Kelly shook her head, "I know Tori told you…"

"I had to Kel…"

Kelly wiped her eyes with the back of her wrists before using the counter to pull herself back up. Leanne helped her, making sure she was okay to stand on her own.

Kelly took a deep breath as she turned to her two little sisters, "I'll be fine guys…"

"No, Kel… we should talk about this…" Leanne told her. "It's not good to bottle it up."

"It's fine… really," she said. "It happened a long time ago… I'm over it."

Kelly knew Leanne was right. It wasn't healthy for her to keep this all bottled up. She had learned to live with her mistake, and move on, and for a while, she even thought she had moved passed what happened in 10th grade, until Hunter asked her out.

If Drew, an eighteen year old high school athlete could easily overpower her and make her do things she would never do, there was no telling what Hunter could make her do. Though he was the same age as Kelly, he was older than Drew was back then and much stronger. Not only that, but he was a Ranger and a well trained Ninja. If he wanted to, and if Kelly let him like she had let Drew, he could easily do whatever he wanted with her.

But Kelly couldn't talk to her little sisters about this. She couldn't burden Tori, the eighteen year old baby with this problem, and there was no way she was going to give Leanne such a huge responsibility after they had only just started their sisterhood. She had to suck it up and pretend like everything was fine, not for her sake, but for theirs. She had to be strong.

"No, you're not," Tori said. Leanne turned to her and shook her head slowly as she walked Kelly to the door.

"We'll try to talk when we get her home," she mouthed so only Tori could understand. Tori nodded.

She looked around the bathroom to make sure nobody had seen what happened with Kelly. She was sure that Kelly was already humiliated from telling her the story. It would definitely break her apart if this story went public.

Tori spotted the little girl standing outside her stall, still watching. She frowned and pointed to the sink.

"Did you wash your hands, missy?"

The girl shook her head and ran to the taps to wash her hands. Tori watched her for a moment before taking off after Leanne and Kelly.

-Storm-Chargers-

Once home, the three girls decided to get together on Kelly's bed to talk. They got in their pyjamas, so everyone would be comfortable and Tori warmed up their dinners.

Leanne and Tori weren't about to leave Kelly alone until they got her to talk. They knew it was probably wrong to force her, but with her sudden outburst in the washroom, they needed to know if she was okay.

Kelly wasn't about to talk, so the room was silent. She looked at the two girls as they finished up and sighed.

"Just, go to bed," she whispered. "I'm sorry for what happened today…"

"Kelly… we need to talk… have you ever told anyone?" Leanne asked.

"Are you kidding?" Kelly frowned. "My dad would kill me if he found out! I wasn't supposed to be at that party."

"Okay… maybe you would have gotten a little bit of trouble… but, I mean, you can't get mad at a girl who…"

Kelly glared at her sister, "Don't say it."

"I won't…"

Tori sighed, "Kelly, please talk to us."

"I can't," Kelly frowned. Leanne groaned, ready to give up, but she knew she couldn't. Tori groaned as well. She wanted to understand what had happened, and just how much this was affecting Kelly now. It was obviously getting in the way of a relationship between Hunter and Kelly.

"Why not?" she asked. Kelly shrugged.

"I just… I can't."

Tori nodded. She could understand that much. Though it wasn't the same at all, when her parents got divorced, she found it hard to talk to anyone about what she was feeling. She couldn't tell Dustin, or Shane and she felt she couldn't share her burden with her little sister. As the older sister, it was her job to protect her sister and make sure she was okay. Her little sister shouldn't have to deal with Tori's issues.

Tori looked up at Kelly, finally realising why it would be hard for Kelly to talk. It wasn't because they wouldn't understand. It was because she didn't want to burden them with her problems. She was older than Tori and Leanne… she was older than everyone except Hunter. Shane, Dustin, Blake were her little brothers, and Tori and Leanne were her little sisters. This kinda of thing… it wasn't something Kelly would want to share with her young siblings.

"Kel, you know how my parents are divorced, right?"

Leanne turned to Tori, wondering how that would have anything to do with their current situation. Tori ignored her, keeping her eyes on Kelly.

Kelly nodded, "Yeah… so?"

"My parents made me see a psychologist. I had a hard time talking about the divorce, and they thought that might help me open up."

"I'm not a whack-job," Kelly growled. Tori shook her head.

"I know that… but, maybe if you go see one… maybe you can talk there. I promise, we won't ask you about it, and we won't talk about it unless you want us too."

Leanne nodded, understanding Tori's point. It didn't matter who Kelly talked to, so long as she could express herself and get everything off her chest. A psychologist was the perfect alternative. They dealt with situations like this all the time and would know what to do and how to help.

"It might be easier to talk to a stranger… someone who doesn't already know you. I found it helped me out quite a bit. He didn't know my friends, or my family… he just sat and listened. I could talk all I wanted, and he just listened."

Leanne smiled, "Please, think about it… or talk to us. We really want to help you."

Kelly thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. She collected the dinner plates and got up.

"I'm not a whack-job," she growled, "I don't need help and I don't need to talk to some psycho doctor! I've dealt with it up until you brought it up, Tor, and I'll continue to deal with it on my own!"

"Kel…"

"You two can stay in here!" Kelly shouted, balancing the plates on one hand as she grabbed the doorknob. "I'll take the couch! Thanks for nothing!"

Kelly slammed the door shut, leaving her sister and Tori in her bedroom.

Leanne turned to Tori, surprised at Kelly's reaction. Tori could only shrug.


	32. Talks

Everyone could tell there was definitely something that wasn't right at Storm Chargers the morning after the dinner. The boys had all seen Kelly's panic attack at the restaurant, and still had no idea what it was about, while Leanne and Tori were trying not to get on Kelly's bad side anymore than they already were.

At first, Tori and Leanne thought they had only angered Kelly with their suggestion for her to get some help. It was the heat of the moment, and after discussing it for a few hours after Kelly stormed off, they assumed she was just upset that her secret was out and needed time to cool off.

Now, though, they were realising just how much they had offended Kelly by trying to help her. Even though there was clearly nothing wrong with her mentally, they had suggested she visit a psychologist. Given Kelly's current state, they could understand how she would take that offensively as her being, for lack of better word, different than everybody else.

While Kelly was working in the back, fixing up bikes on her own as well as dealing with paperwork, Blake, Hunter and Dustin were up front, helping customers and watching the store. Shane was sitting on the couches dressed in his skateboarding gear, waiting for his brother, while Leanne and Tori hung out around the back counter, close enough to the couches to talk with Shane.

A man walked into Storm Chargers wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase, making his look very out of place amongst the aspiring action sports stars. Shane hopped off the couch when he saw the man, his brother. He was determined to greet him properly, even though he hadn't seen his brother in years.

He approached his brother, much like he would Dustin or any of the other guys and pulled him into a one armed hug. His brother didn't seem too pleased with the hug however, preferring to be greeted with a simple handshake.

Shane looked up at his older brother with a smile, "Yo, Porter, what's up?"

"Not much," Porter said dismissively as he looked around, "Is there anywhere we can talk?"

Shane nodded and led his brother to the couches, where Tori and Leanne had made their way after he got up. He sat down and tapped the spot beside him for his brother. Porter scoffed lightly and took a seat.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Shane asked. Porter turned to Tori and Leanne. The two girls noticed his stares and turned on the TV, pretending like they weren't interested. Shane rolled his eyes. He didn't mind that the girls listened in; they were his new family after all.

Porter, satisfied the girls seemed to be minding their own business, turned to face his brother, "Listen, Shane, mom and dad are a little worried about you."

"What do you mean?" Shane frowned.

"Well, Shane, you're not a kid anymore," Porter said, jumping straight to the issue. "You're growing up, and we're all wondering what's next!"

"Next?"

"Well, you know, it's a big world out there," Porter stated, "Have you made any plans at all for what you're going to do for the rest of your life?"

"Well, I've been kinda busy lately," Shane said, glancing down at his morpher before looking up, over at Tori. She bit her lower lip and looked down at her morpher as well. She knew what Shane was hinting at, and knew that if he could tell his brother of his Rangering career it would prove to Porter, and his family that he wasn't wasting his life on a skateboard. Tori had known Shane and his family for a long time, and unless Shane was doing something that would make a difference in the world, he wasn't doing anything useful at all, in his family's eyes.

"That's what I was afraid of," Porter sighed.

"Look, it's not what you think, okay…"

"_I think_ you should spend a little less time skateboarding and a lot more time focusing on what's important in life."

"You mean what's important to you," Shane said, glancing up at his brother. Porter looked at him strangely.

"I didn't make the rules, I just follow them…"

"Well, I don't!" Shane frowned. He jumped out of his seat so he was standing over his brother, "I can't believe you would come over here and start bagging on me… in front of my friends! You have no idea what I've been going through!"

This caught Dustin, Blake and Hunter's attention. Now they were working with customers, and listening in on Shane and Porter's conversation.

Porter hopped out of his seat as well, "So tell me!"

Shane suddenly backed away. As much as he wanted to tell his brother that the fate of the world rested on his shoulders, he couldn't. It was bad enough Kelly knew his secret. He didn't want to drag his brother into a world of danger as well.

"I can't…"

This only seemed to infuriate Porter. He glared at his little brother, "I have a business appointment to get to. We will talk about this later."

Shane watched as Porter took off to his oh-so-important business meeting. He clenched his teeth as he turned to his friends.

"He's charming, isn't he?" he asked them angrily.

Dustin nodded, "Just like I remember, dude."

"No wonder you were bummed when he said he was coming down," Blake said.

The morphers beeped suddenly. It was perfect time for Shane, who desperately needed to let off some steam, but the others groaned loudly, pulling themselves away from whatever it was they were doing (or supposed to be doing). Even Leanne got up this time.

"I'm going to head to Ninja Ops to see if Cyber Cam needs any help," she told the Rangers, "I don't wanna stick around, alone, while Kelly's angry."

"That's probably a smart move," Hunter nodded. He knew what Kelly could be like when she was infuriated and he knew better than anyone that it wasn't fun. Dustin ran to the back to let Kelly know everyone was off.

Kelly growled loudly as she received the news. Everyone leaving meant she had to take care of the store all by herself. Normally she knew she would be able to handle it, but today she wasn't sure customer service with a smile was physically possible.

She dropped her tools, leaving the bikes for the time being and approached the front counter. After so many months of alien attacks, Kelly noticed that the store did quiet down a bit. A lot of people who were inside were only waiting out the attack. Meanwhile, actual customers weren't in a hurry to leave. They usually spent their time browsing, or purchased their items and hung out by the couches to watch the news.

Like most of the Rangers' battles, this one went on for hours. Some brave civilians and customers had decided to walk out of the store, while others were standing around.

One man stepped inside the store and looked around. Kelly glanced at him, wondering why he would be shopping at this time. He walked over to her.

"Excuse me; do you know a Shane Clarke? He was here earlier…"

Kelly nodded, noting the resemblance between this man and Shane. "You must be his brother. I'm Kelly Holloway, Shane's… boss? Friend?"

"Well, after you figure out your relationship to my brother could you tell me where he went?" Porter asked. "We have important matters to discuss."

Kelly shook her head, "Shane took off a few hours ago. He's dealing with other important matters."

"Don't tell me he's at the skate park again…" Porter groaned; rolling his eyes as the venomous words passed his lips. Kelly noted his clear disapproval of the skate park and given her current mood, she couldn't help but take offence.

"What's wrong with the skate park?" she asked Porter.

"Nothing," Porter shrugged, "it's just a waste of time. People can do so much more than ride around on a little piece of wood and jump in the air."

Kelly glared at Porter before taking a look at what he was wearing. He was a suit (her word for businessman). He was someone who thought that his job was so important and sports were, at best, a pass-time while on vacation. Even then, a lot of suits she had met would never try action sports. Their idea of a good sport was playing eighteen holes of golf with a golf cart and drinking beer.

"You know," Kelly frowned, "I make a living with sports, and I would know just how important they can be."

"Please," Porter scoffed, "Yes, they are great for getting exercise, but you can find that elsewhere. Go for a light job or use those little exercise tools they sell…"

"You mean those?" Kelly asked, pointing to a shelf where workout equipment sat, waiting to be purchased. She shrugged, "Those are great, yeah… but the people who tend to buy jogging equipment and exercise tools tend to be…"

"Tend to be what?" Porter frowned.

"Women in their forties," Kelly smirked. "Sports give people the chance to let off some steam, use up their extra energy and make friends. It gives them something to do after school and believe it or not, it does help kids focus a lot on their studies… if handled properly."

"Whatever," Porter frowned, "Do you know where my brother is?"

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," she said, still on the topic of sports. She pointed over to the couch to answer Porter's question, "He's out at the moment, but I'm sure he'll be back soon. You can have a seat over there while you wait."

Porter made his way to the couches, leaving Kelly on her own again, just the way she liked it. He didn't have to wait long for his brother to show up though.

He walked into the store with Dustin, Blake, Hunter, Tori and Leanne. Everyone looked exhausted and worn down from the battle, as usual, but there was something different about all of them.

Shane saw his brother in the shop and made a beeline for him, throwing himself in his brother's arms to talk. The others hung back for a moment, standing awkwardly in the background, unsure of what to do with themselves.

Shane and Porter sat down on the couches together so Porter could lecture his little brother, but Shane spoke up first. With sad eyes he looked up.

"Porter… you and everybody else at home… are you disappointed in me?"

Porter was taken aback. He looked at his brother and shook his head.

"No… no we're not disappointed, Shane. We see a lot of potential in you that is going unused…"

Kelly turned away from the Clarke brothers when she saw Tori pull Leanne away from the group and head upstairs, giving Kelly the impression that they too wanted to talk privately. Hunter and Blake went to the back of the store to be alone and Dustin approached Kelly.

"Dude, are you busy?" he asked his boss. Kelly frowned, but shook her head. Though she was mad in general, she had to remember she was really only mad at Tori and Leanne for their crazy suggestion, and not the boys. "Good, because I think I need to talk."

"About what?" Kelly asked him. Dustin glanced around the shop nervously for a minute before leaning in.

"My, uh… fear."

"Of Hello Kitty…"

"No, no, not that!" Dustin interrupted. "My real fear… the fear of falling off my bike. The monster we fought today had these crazy fear collars and Tor, Shane and I were hit pretty bad with them."

Kelly sighed, "Dustin, we've been over this. You're a great rider. You don't have to worry about taking a falling off or…"

"But… what if I do?" Dustin asked her. "What if I make a mistake and wipe out?"

"You get back up and try again. It's like a modern horse. If it kicks you off, you get back on."

"You won't be mad if I fall?"

"Of course not!" Kelly said. "Why would you think…?"

Kelly stopped when she saw the sad look on Dustin's face. Suddenly his fear of wiping out didn't seem so silly to her. She smiled softly, taking his hand.

"Dustin, are you afraid of letting yourself down?"

"No…"

"Dustin, you're a great rider. You can do anything you set your mind to. One fall won't take you out of the race… and even if it does, you have a lot of friend who will still be very proud of you."

Dustin looked up, "Really?"

"Of course. We're not friend with you because you race. We're friend with you because you're Dustin. And we'll be friends no matter what. Whether you continue to race, whether you stop racing and play golf… whether you take a nasty spill and lose all your limbs…"

"Thanks, now I'm afraid of losing my arm…" Dustin said jokingly before smiling. He reached over the counter to hug Kelly, "Thanks Kel."

"No problem," she nodded. "Anytime you need to talk, I'm here to listen."

As Dustin went back to work, Kelly could help but replay that scene over in her head again. Dustin had come to her with a problem… a fear and he needed to talk with her to let it out. And after the talk, he felt better.

She looked around the room and noticed that Shane and Porter were done talking. They were joking around and laughing together, like brothers should have been. It was obvious that whatever was bugging Shane before was off his chest and he could just relax.

Tori and Leanne walked back into the shop. Tori's mood was definitely much happier than when she had gone upstairs. The talk with Leanne about her fear must have really helped her out.

Kelly could never remember talking to anyone about what happened that night with Drew. Her mother had already passed and she was afraid that if she told her father what happened he would get mad at her. She had already gotten in so much trouble for staying out all night, on a school night. She never would have heard the end of it if her father knew she had also been drinking and had sex.

She knew that any other time she had a problem she just needed to talk it out. It was how she dealt with her feelings when Leanne came into town. She always felt better after talking things through, especially with someone else.

But there was something holding her back. She didn't want to talk to anyone about that night. She still felt ashamed and dirty that she would let a boy go that far with her. She could have said no to the first drink and she could have walked home. She could have called a cab or called her father. She had gotten yelled at anyways, so it wasn't like she could have avoided that by not calling him for a ride. That night was her fault.

"Hello, earth to Kelly!" Leanne called, waving her hand in front of her sister's face. Kelly snapped back to reality as she turned to her sister. Leanne took a fearful step back.

"Um… you were going to take me out today to buy a bed or couch or futon or…" Leanne trailed off slowly as Kelly glared hatefully at her. She knew it wasn't a good time to bother her sister about this, especially when her sister was mad at her. That was why she was trying to get Kelly's attention. To tell her it was okay to reschedule. "Or a mat… a mat's good too. Well, why waste money on a mat… I'll just curl up on the floor…"

Kelly reached down behind the counter and grabbed her bag, "We'll go…"

"We'll… what?"

"We'll go and get the bed," Kelly said. "Get in the car."

Leanne shook her head. Her sister was definitely up to something. Spending a few hours furniture shopping for a bed, or even a mat was definitely not on Kelly's to-do list for the day if she was pissed off. The only way it could be a good idea was if there were ulterior motives. Bad ulterior motives.

"Um… maybe Tori should tag along…"

"No… just you," Kelly said.

"I really think a third person might be a good idea… you know, another set of eyes for…"

"Leanne, it has to be the two of us," Kelly turned to Leanne, looking over at her softly, "Please?"

Thinking that she was probably right about there being an ulterior motive, Leanne nodded. She followed Kelly to the Storm Charger's van and got in. Kelly got in on the driver's side and before putting the key in she turned to her sister.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Of- Of course," Leanne nodded. "About what?"

"Last night… or rather… what we discussed last night."

Leanne sat up in her seat, "You… you want to see someone about it?"

"I don't know… maybe… but right now I think… I just…"

"I'll listen," Leanne smiled, knowing that was what her sister was getting at. "We'll talk about it now… and, only if you want, we'll go see someone. I can come with you, or you can do it alone… you can even talk to my dad or Sensei Watanabe about it. They're great listeners and have so much advice… and…"

Leanne trailed off as she watched her sister sitting in her seat, playing nervously with her hands. She smiled softly, reaching over to grab Kelly's hand.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. How about you and I just talk about it now and we'll see where that goes."

Kelly nodded, "Yeah… thanks…"


	33. When She's Ready

Kelly averted her eyes away from her sister as she finished up her story. She knew that Leanne wasn't going to judge her for what had happened that night, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at what Leanne was going to think, or say. After all, a sisterly bond was something that took a lifetime to create, and the two had only known each other for a few months at this point.

Leanne however would never judge her sister based on these events. She couldn't possibly imagine the horror Kelly must have endured not only during the night, but for the years afterwards; having to keep such a huge secret from her friends and family and hold up a strong image so no one would ever see her insecurities. It was no surprise that this would eventually surface one day. Leanne was just thankful that she was there, as well as everyone else who cared about Kelly.

"Well," Kelly said after a moment of silence. "How about you and I go pick up that bed for you?"

Leanne frowned and turned to her sister, shaking her head, "After all that, you still want to get the bed?"

Kelly shrugged, "We've talked… there's really not much you can do, right? I mean, you can only use a time-scroll-thingy so many times before you really fuck something up."

"Yeah, but now that we know what's bugging you we can help…"

"No," Kelly shook her head quickly, making Leanne fear that her head might spin right off. "There will be no we, no helping… I've talked, it's off my chest. No one else needs to know. Only you and Tori."

"Well, what about Hunter?" Leanne asked. "The poor guy thinks he's done something to hurt you… aside from what he did because of Lothor," Leanne mustered out before Kelly could say anything. "You at least owe him an apology."

"I guess… I just…"

"Talking about it was only step one," Leanne said.

"There are steps?" Kelly groaned. Leanne nodded.

"Yeah, a lot of little steps. The first step was getting you to actually talk about what happened. Now we've got to work on proving to you that this wasn't your fault."

"Good luck with that," Kelly said, rolling her eyes before turning back to Leanne. "I don't know what kind of lessons you got at that Thunder Ninja Academy thing, but here in the real world teenagers are told to listen to their parents, be home before curfew, not to drink without adult supervision, or at all, really, and not to have sex when you're obviously not ready for it! I broke all those rules!"

"You were young!" Leanne said. She knew that wasn't going to convince Kelly, but it was the only thing she could think of saying at the moment.

"Exactly," Kelly nodded. "I was young and vulnerable and I put myself in danger. The minute Drew asked me to go to that after party I should have said no! I should have said no when he offered the drink and I should have done something when he pulled be to bed."

"What could you do, though?" Leanne frowned. "You didn't know the after-party was going to be a mess. Okay, maybe you shouldn't have given into the peer pressure, but you're not the only one at fault. Drew should take at least half the blame, if not all of it for what he did!"

"He didn't do anything!"

"He raped you!" Leanne screamed unintentionally. She was so frustrated that Kelly continued to blame herself for her problems that she lost her cool for a moment and blurted out her words without really thinking.

Hearing those words weren't easy for Kelly at all. Because she had kept this secret to herself for so long she had never heard those words before. No one had ever called it rape. When Kelly thought about it, she always told herself it was mistake. A fresh set of tears started rolling down her cheeks and her body began to shake. Leanne quickly leaned over, taking her sister's hand.

"It's not… I mean… he didn't… well…"

"No," Kelly said, shaking her head as she tried to wipe away the tears, "Just… shut up."

"Kel… I know you're scared…"

"I'm not scared!" Kelly screamed. She reached over to Leanne's side and grabbed the door handle, pulling it and opening the car door. "Get out!"

Leanne unclipped her seat belt but before making her move to leave she turned to Kelly.

"Look, I'm not going to let anyone take advantage of you ever again," she whispered. "Whenever you're ready just let me know. I can take you somewhere private and I can teach you some of the basics of the Thunder Ninja Academy. Maybe a little training will help boost your confidence again. Until then… no one's going to hurt you. Not Hunter, not Blake, not Tori, Shane or Dustin. I promise."

With that, Leanne hopped out of the van and back into Storm Chargers. When she walked in, she saw the Rangers scrambling around, trying to make it look like they were all too busy to notice her presence. She sighed, shaking her head as she approached the counter.

"I know you guys were watching from the window," she said. "You don't have to act anymore."

Tori put down her clipboard now that she was caught and the boys all gathered around, curious to know how Kelly was feeling. Not everyone was up to date on Kelly's situation, but they were all worried deeply about her.

"You didn't go furniture shopping, did you?" Tori asked. Leanne sighed.

"Kelly never put the key in the van."

"We saw you talking," Dustin said.

"What did she say?" Hunter asked, very interested in what was going on. Though Tori had spent the last hour assuring him he had done nothing wrong, he couldn't help but feel that there was something he had said or done that had caused this mysterious break-down. He cared for Kelly, a lot, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. All his intentions, up to this point, were harmless. He just wanted to know how she felt about him and hoped that maybe she returned his feelings. If he made her uncomfortable he wanted to know so he could apologise.

"She still doesn't want to talk about it," Leanne sighed. "It's a very… sensitive subject. It'll still be a while before she's back to her regular self."

"So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Shane asked. Dustin shrugged his shoulders.

"Dude, maybe I can talk to her," he offered. "I have known her the longest. If there's anything she needs to talk about…"

"We know what's wrong," Tori interrupted, "Believe me, you talking to her isn't going to help."

"Well, maybe it will," Dustin said. "Maybe she just needs to know that we're all here for her, no matter what."

"Maybe… but… for now, let her come to you," Leanne said, turning to the boys, "Please don't try and bring this up around her. When she does come inside, just act normal. She'll talk when she's ready."

"Last time she kept a secret from us it nearly killed us," Blake stated, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked around.

"It's nothing Lothor related," Tori said. "It's personal."

"Whatever you say, dude," Dustin sighed, grabbing his rag, "I'm going to go work on the bikes. You're okay up here alone?"

Tori nodded, leaving Dustin and Hunter to head to the back to work on bikes. Shane rolled his eyes, slightly frustrated that he was still left out of the loop as he headed over to the couches. Leanne went to check up on the surfboards by the window, using it as an excuse to check up on her older sister.

Blake hung back with Tori for a bit as she worked around the front counter. He breathed nervously before leaning against the counter.

"Yo, Tor," he called, catching her attention. "Keeping a friend's secret isn't easy, you know… and if you ever need someone to talk to…"

"If Kelly wants, I'll carry this secret to my grave," Tori frowned.

Blake pushed away from the counter, "No, no, that's not what I meant. I was gonna say, you can talk to me about it. I won't ask for details, but it's gotta be frustrating. It's obviously a big secret and sometimes even the help needs help."

Tori smiled slightly, "Thanks…"

"Great," Blake said, clapping his hands together as he began to walk backwards, slowly, "So, if you ever need to talk…"

"How about right now?" Tori asked, glancing at the clock quickly. "Leanne's back and I'm due for lunch… we could grab a bit to eat."

"Oh, uh, right now?" Blake frowned. He figured it would be at least a few days before Tori had enough secrets and wanted to talk.

Tori immediately grew nervous, biting her lower lip, "Unless, you know, you're too busy…"

"No, no," Blake said, shaking his head, "I'm, uh… now's good. I just need to let the… the boss know."

Tori chuckled nervously, "Well, I've checked with myself, and it's okay if you take a break."

"Right," Blake laughed.

Tori placed her clipboard down on the counter, "Cool. I'll just go tell Leanne she's in charge and I'll get my bag."

"I'll be right here," Blake smiled. He watched Tori leave while Shane walked over, laughing and shaking his head.

"That was probably one of the most awkward… what was that, dude?"

"I think we're going on a date," Blake frowned as he turned to the red Ranger. Shane frowned as well.

"You're using Kelly's misery and secret to try and land Tori?"

"No, no, not at all, bro!" Blake said defensively, realising how bad this could look to anyone. "I was genuine about that…"

"C'mon, dude, we all know you've been crushing on our surfer girl from day one."

"Yeah, I'll admit, that's true," Blake nodded, "But really, if all she wants to do is talk about her worries for Kelly, I'm all ears. This lunch is just to make her feel a little better and maybe offer some ideas to help Kelly."

Shane tapped Blake on the back, "Look, whatever you do, Bradley, just don't hurt her like you did last time, okay?" he said as he looked down at the smaller Ranger.

"I won't," Blake said. "I really do just wanna help."

"I hope so," Shane nodded, "Because if Tori sheds one tear because of you, or if you're using Kelly's misery to try and get a date with Tori, you and I are going to have a very long talk."

"What if it's tears of joy?" Blake joked nervously, trying to lighten the mood. Shane's expression never changed, causing Blake's nervous laughter to slowly come to a stop, "You know, because you said if she sheds a… I won't hurt her, I swear."

"Good," Shane smiled, patting his friend on the back as Tori came back from grabbing her things. She pulled Blake away for their lunch date and Shane waved goodbye, "Have fun you too, don't be back too late! Remember, time is money!"

Not long after the two Blue Rangers left, Kelly came back into the store. Leanne and the boys fell silent as they watched her. Kelly approached the counter and began to work again.

Seeing his opportunity, Dustin put down his tools and approached his boss. He leaned up against the counter, right next to Kelly, and smiled.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd be coming back to work…"

"Blake and Tori are both gone," Kelly said, "Someone's gotta cover."

Dustin looked out at the store, seeing only a few customers.

"Yeah, because it's so busy in here…"

"You know what I mean," Kelly said.

Dustin shrugged, "Sure…"

He watched Kelly as she went back to work, burying herself in it as a way to escape whatever it was that was bugging her. He leaned in closer.

"So, uh, I thought you and Leanne were going to get a bed or couch…"

"Maybe later, Dustin," Kelly said. "We got distracted."

"Yeah, I saw," Dustin nodded, pointing to the window, where the Storm Charger's van was visible, "It looked pretty intense."

Kelly smirked, "Were you spying?"

Dustin smiled as well, "I'm a ninja. It would be a crime not to."

"Well, it was intense."

"So, this thing that happened at dinner…"

"I'm not ready to tell the world, yet, Dustin."

"You've told Leanne and Tori."

Kelly turned to her friend and sighed, "Leanne's my sister."

"You've know her for two month," he frowned. "You've known me for almost two years now, Kel!"

"This is personal, Dustin."

Dustin nodded, "I know that… and I don't want to pry or anything, but if there's something bothering you I want to help."

Kelly took a deep breath as she reached for Dustin's hand, taking it gently in hers, "I know you do."

"So, why are you keeping secrets from me?"

"It's easier to talk to the girls," Kelly said. "It's just…"

"No matter what it is, Kel, you can tell me," Dustin assured her. He knew Leanne had told him not to press the matter and to wait for Kelly to be ready to talk, but what did they know? He had been Kelly's best friend and confidante long before Leanne walked into their lives. If there was something bothering Kelly on a personal level, he hoped that she would know she could trust him. He didn't need to know all the details, but he wanted to know enough to help. He hated sitting on the sidelines, helpless, while she struggled with something that seemed to be hurting her a lot.

"I know," Kelly smiled, nodding her head slowly, "And I will tell you… when I'm ready. Tori and Leanne had to force this secret out of me and it's still a little…"

"Look," Dustin sighed, "If you're not going to tell me what is it, can you at least tell me what it involves? Is it something about your mother… is your dad sick, or…"

"No, no," Kelly shook her head, "He's fine, I promise you."

"So what is it?" Dustin frowned. Kelly pulled into him, wrapping her arms around him. She knew she was hurting him right now. She never wanted to keep secrets from her little brother, especially when all he wanted to do was help him. But there was no way the words were going to pass her lips. She wasn't ready to talk, and she was afraid that if she did try to tell him too early she might mess up the story and give him the wrong idea completely.

"It's something that happened to me years ago," she whispered so only he could hear. "Something that's still hurting me now."

"What is it?" Dustin asked. "I can help you with it."

"I know you can," Kelly nodded, "But not right now. Please, Dustin, just… try and let it go. I promise, when I am ready to tell you guys, you'll be the first to know."

"Okay," Dustin said dejectedly. He was going to have to settle for that right now. Kelly wasn't ready to talk, and forcing her wasn't going to be a smart move. The only way he could really get her to confide in him would be if she trusted him. "Just… let me know… whenever you're ready."

"I will," Kelly nodded, "But for now… just… act normal, please? Let's pretend like there is no issue."


	34. Kelly and Hunter Make Peace

For the first time in a while Storm Chargers had been hit by a big wave of people looking for new sports equipment. Kelly, Leanne and Tori were all on the floor, running around helping customers while Hunter and Blake stayed in the back to work on some new bikes that had been brought in for repair recently. Dustin stood by the front counter, ringing up orders. Even Shane was helping out after being bribed by Kelly because she needed an extra set of hands.

Kelly was more than happy for the big rush of people. Not only was it good for business, but it helped her keep her mind off her problems. Since she had spilled what her issue was to Leanne she had talked to her sister every once in a while and found that it did help her get some problems and feelings off her chest, but she still wasn't ready to go talk to a stranger about what she had to deal with. Though Tori insisted that talking to a stranger helped a lot more because they didn't know you, Kelly just wasn't comfortable with the idea.

As she was making her way through the store, carrying a large load of clothing in her hands, a man in a business suit approached her.

"Excuse me," he asked, "is the owner here? I would like to have a word with him."

"You're talking to _her,_" Kelly smirked. She always found it amusing when people came in, demanding to talk to the owner. Because it was a sport's store, most people assumed that a man would be running the place. When she told them that she was in fact the owner, they would get one of two looks on their face. One of utter shock that a woman would not only have enough knowledge to run her own business successfully and that she would own a sports shop instead of a beauty parlour. Or, they would give her a look that suggested they would "tap that".

The man smirked as he removed his sunglasses, "Oh, I see. Well, young lady, I guess this is your lucky day."

Kelly put the clothes down on top of one of the racks as the man pulled out a business card. She took it from him and read it quickly.

"Total Pro Sport Shops. You've got store all over the city."

"All over the country," the business man corrected her as he looked around, "I'd like to add your store to it, at a substantial profit to you of course."

"Well thanks but I'm not interested," Kelly said, handing him back his card before she began to move away. The man followed her, refusing to give up so quickly.

"Are you sure you would rather go up against us?" he asked. "A little place like this; you don't stand a chance!"

"I've been to your stores," Kelly frowned. "Your staff doesn't know the difference between BMX and Motocross, and your equipment is way overpriced! Storm Chargers may be little, but I'm proud of it!"

"Go Kel," Dustin chuckled, overhearing the conversation as he finished up with a customer. She turned to him, offering a small smile before turning back to the business man.

"I see," he breathed. "Well, thank you for your time."

"And _thank you_ for shopping at Storm Chargers."

Leanne walked over to the front counter, where Kelly had slowly made her way while talking to the businessman. When he was out of earshot, she looked at her sister, "What was that?"

"Some guy wanted to buy Storm Chargers off me," Kelly explained. "I told him no."

"Good for you," Leanne smirked.

"Yeah, dude," Dustin nodded, "I've been around town and this place is the only spot I would ever buy equipment. You know what you're talking about and everything's at a decent price. Being a Ranger doesn't pay as well as you think."

"Well, let's hope he doesn't come back," Kelly frowned, checking the door. She could see her visitor from earlier was on the phone, most likely talking to his boss about his failures. "I really don't want to deal with him again. He's a bit big."

"You mean plump?" Dustin chuckled. "The dude looks like he's swallowed a few sports balls!"

"Well, you and Dustin can deal with the rest of the crowd, right?" Leanne asked her sister. "Shane just got a call from Cam. Sensei Watanabe wants as many of us a possible at Ninja Ops for some training session."

"I'm not invited, dude?"

"I'm off in half an hour, Tori's off in five minutes, Shane doesn't technically work here and all the bikes in the back are done," Leanne said. "You and Kel are the only two who are working here until close."

"Yeah, whatever, go train without me," Dustin said, waving off the Thunder Ninja. Leanne turned to Kelly, waiting for her permission to steal more than half of her employees. Kelly nodded. The store was closing in a few hours and the rushes never lasted too long. She and Dustin would be able to deal for the rest of the night.

"Go, have fun, train and save the world. I won't keep you."

"Great!" Leanne called as Shane, Tori, Blake and Hunter all dropped what they were doing and ran for the door.

"You're the best, Kel!" Blake said as he left.

-Storm-Chargers-

"Dustin, I've got to make a quick run!" Kelly called as Dustin made his way to the door, ready to switch the sign over to closed. There was only one customer left in the store, and Dustin didn't want anyone else flooding in after hours and keeping him or Kelly working over time. Kelly rushed past him just as he reached the door. "I need to make a bunch of new stickers for the new stock tomorrow but we've just run out of paper!"

"Okay, dude," Dustin nodded, letting her outside.

"You don't mind locking up? I have my keys to get back in, but you'll have to shut down all the…"

"Kel, I know what I'm doing. You've trained me, remember," Dustin chuckled. "Go, get your stuff. I'll probably still be here when you get back."

"Okay," Kelly nodded.

Dustin shut the door behind her and turned to the customer. Because it was after hours, he could shut down everything except the cash register.

"Hey, miss, just call me when you need me. I'll be in the back within ear shot," he told her. "And the alarm will go off if you try to unlock the door, so don't try anything."

The woman nodded and continued her browsing, looking for one item specifically.

Just as Dustin disappeared into the back room, four men dressed completely in black with masks began to fiddle with the lock, successfully opening the door without triggering the alarms. The woman, who would never dream of stealing anything, noticed them and ducked away, afraid they were armed robbers.

One of the men looked around the room with a smile, "Think she'll change her mind?"

The ring leader grinned, "She won't have a choice. After we trash the place she'll have to sell."

A third man chuckled loudly as he grabbed a clothes rack and tossed it to the ground, grabbing Dustin's attention from the back room. He rushed out to check on the store and noticed the four robbers. An idea quickly came to him. He ninja streaked to the front of the store, morphing as he did.

While the robbers were having a grand old time destroying everything they could, as well as terrorizing the customer they found left over in the store, Dustin stepped back inside from the front door, completely morphed.

One of the robbers decided it would be fun to knock down all the bikes that had been left in a row. As he placed his hand on the handlebars of the first bike, Dustin, the yellow Ranger, place his gloved hand on top of his. The four robbers turned to him in shock before they scrambled to get away, tripping over their own mess. Dustin beat them back to the front door, standing in their path.

"I guess you didn't see the closed sign," he told them. "No go back and tell your boss this shop's not for sale!"

As the boys scurried out, Kelly walked back in.

"Dustin I forgot my cell… a Power Ranger?"

"Yes mam, and you're not going to have any more problems with those guys."

Kelly rolled her eyes. The robbers were out of earshot. "Quit the act, Dus…"

Suddenly, the one lonely customer stepped out of hiding; eyes wide open in awe as she stared at Dustin.

"Uh, dude… Uh… thank you," Kelly said, trying to cover her mistake before the woman found out hers and Dustin's secret.

"Oh. My. God! A Power Ranger! A real, live Power Ranger! In this store!"

Dustin looked around, "Well, I better be getting back. The others will be wondering where I am!"

Before Kelly could say anything, Dustin ninja streaked out of the store, only to come back from the back room, back in his civilian gear with a confused look on his face.

"Did you see that?" the customer beamed, running over to him, nearly bowling him down in her excitement.

Dustin, pretending to be as clueless as ever, shrugged, "What?"

"A Power Ranger! Nobody's going to believe this!" she cried, dropping all her things and running out. Kelly locked the door behind her and turned to Dustin with a panicked look.

"That's not good," she said.

"I don't know," he shrugged, "She said no one was going to believe her."

"Alright, so it'll be the Blue Bay Harbour Myth. Does the Yellow Power Ranger really come out at night to protect local shops from thieves? Whether they buy her story or not, the Yellow Ranger's going to get press, and so will Storm Chargers for…"

Kelly paused for a moment before smirked, "Actually, this could work out for me. More business means more money."

"More money means you can afford the therapy stuff Tori's begging you to take," Dustin said. Kelly groaned. Though she knew she wasn't ready to see a professional about her issue, she didn't want to tell the others that. By now they all knew she did have a problem from her past and Leanne and Tori seemed to have spread around the idea that she needed to go to therapy, maybe hoping that the more people pushed her, the more likely it was she would go. To get them off her back, she told them she didn't have the money to afford any therapy sessions.

"I thought I told you to drop it," she said. Dustin shrugged.

"I just want to help, dude. You still haven't told me…"

"You deal with this soon-to-be problem, and I'll deal with my not-your-business problem, okay?"

"Whatever, dude. I'm headed home."

Kelly watched his leave as he headed for the door, "You're not going to help me clean this up?"

With a loud sigh, Dustin shrugged, "You obviously don't want my help, Kelly."

Kelly frowned, "What does that mean?"

Dustin simply shook his head before leaving.

-Storm-Chargers-

The following morning, the usual group was gathered around Storm Chargers, waiting for the store to open up. Dustin was discussing the events of last night with Tori, Shane and Leanne, describing in full detail about his heroic actions that saved Storm Chargers from destruction. While his friends were happy for him, and happy he was there to save the store, Leanne was a little worried about what this could mean for the Rangers. She had visited Cam and Sensei Watanabe early in the morning for their usual meditation, and Cam had brought this topic up. It had made it in the morning paper and he had gotten a glance before the meditation.

"Hopefully those boneheads won't come back," Dustin smiled.

"That was very nice of you, Dustin," Leanne said. "But Sensei's a little worried. He said something about using Ranger powers in everyday situations having serious consequences."

"I don't see the harm in helping a friend," Dustin sighed. He noticed Kelly stepping into the store from the back room and raised his voice a little higher so she could hear this last part. "It's what friends do. We help each other."

Blake and Hunter stepped into the store, as usual at the very last minute, holding up the newspaper.

"Dude, have you guys seen this?" Hunter asked, setting the paper down on the front counter for everyone to see.

"Our boy here's a celebrity," Blake smirked.

"Let me see this for myself," Tori said, grabbing the paper. She wanted to be able to read the article herself. Though she trusted Dustin, and Leanne had backed him up, having seen an earlier edition herself, Tori was still a little sceptical that this story would have gone public. "Blue Bay seeing Yellow. Wow."

"While the city has grown used to the heroics of the Power Rangers, this is the first time one has stepped forward on his own," Shane read aloud.

"That customer must have told every reporter she could find," Kelly spoke up.

"Whoa, wait," Tori frowned as she and Shane continued to read on their own. She turned to Dustin, reciting the words she had just read, "Could this be a sign of this to come as Yellow going solo?"

"Dude, that's stupid, why would I ever go…?" Dustin was interrupted when all five morphers went off. Kelly groaned loudly.

"Not again. Not now."

"_Dad wants to see as many of you as possible," _Cam said. _"He wants to talk about this Yellow going solo issue. It seems Dustin's getting enough fan mail to crash the systems."_

"That'll include me," Leanne said. "Cam's been teaching me how to work the computer so Cyber Cam can have a little help. He's gonna need me to help him get everything running again."

"We should go too," Shane nodded. "There's not skipping on Sensei's lectures."

"Dustin, think you can stay back?" Kelly asked. Though Sensei's lectures were important, there was no way she was going to be running the store on her own. She had already received a crazy amount of phone calls asking about the Yellow Ranger appearing in her store, and she hadn't even opened up yet.

"Sorry, Kel, you'll be fine without my help, right?" he shrugged. "Anyways, I'm sure Sensei's going to address his lecture to me."

"Oh… okay," Kelly frowned. Dustin already started making his way to Tori's truck and the others followed. Hunter watched them for a moment before turning to Kelly.

"If you think you'll need help, I can stay back," he told her. "I'll just go talk to Sensei after my shift and ask him what I missed."

Kelly looked up at him nervously, "Uh, okay… are you sure?"

"Yeah. Between waves it'll give us time to talk about what happened at dinner," Hunter chuckled. Kelly gave him a mean look, telling Hunter she wasn't ready to talk. His shoulders dropped, "Uh, sorry, I guess you're still not ready. Look, if I did anything to make you uncomfortable, I'm really sorry. I just thought that we should band together to try and convince Leanne not to drop out of Nepal so quickly. You know, because she is our little sister and this is a big deal. I didn't really mean anything by it."

"Didn't mean anything by it?" Kelly frowned. "Earlier that day you tried to ask me out. I know you like me and I said know. You were trying to find an excuse to touch me."

"What?" Hunter asked, startled by her suggestion. "I would never… Kelly, I really like you. I would never do anything to hurt you or disrespect you! I just put my arm around you, and Blake mind you, to show Leanne we were a united front and we were all there for her when she wanted to make this decision!"

Hunter moved forward to put his hands on Kelly's arms but quickly pulled back, realising that's what started this mess in the first place. Instead he looked her in the eyes, trying not to make himself look intimidating.

"I would never hurt you, Kelly," he assured her. "I think I've proven that. I saved you from those muggers, remember? I save the city every day, the city you live in, and I've fought for you, though you're unaware. No one's going to hurt you while I'm around… while all of us Rangers are around. Especially me, okay?"

"Okay," Kelly nodded. "I… I believe you."


	35. Yellow Going Solo?

When the Rangers got back from their lecture at Ninja Ops, they were surprised to see that Storm Chargers was even busier than it had been the day before. Kelly was swamped at the front counter, while Hunter was running around like a mad man trying to help two, three, even four customers at a time find what they wanted.

Shane, Blake and Dustin walked over to the front counter where they saw Kelly with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey guys!" she called, waving them to the front of the line.

"What's the deal, Kel?" Shane asked, leaning against the counter, looking over his shoulder once more, just to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"Ever since the yellow Ranger made his big appearance, I can't keep people away," Kelly beamed. "It's kinda of crazy, but it's great for business!"

"What?" Shane gasped. "Just because the yellow Ranger was here? He's not even, like, the red one!"

Shane stood up straight, placing his hands on his hips as he adopted a heroic pose. Dustin and Blake snickered behind his back while Kelly reached forward, smacking him in the stomach.

"Quit, it, Shane," she laughed.

"So, you need any help?" Blake offered. Kelly looked around and shrugged.

"I guess… maybe."

"Whoa, you guess?" he asked, checking out the store again. It was packed; people barely had space to move around. And regular days, Kelly was begging for the boys to help her out. He expected her to begin grovelling on the spot.

"Yeah. Turns out, when Hunter and I don't argue, we make a really good team. He handles everyone out there, and I ring them all up. It's a little slow, but the place has never run smoother."

"Really?" Dustin frowned. "Well, doesn't matter. I was going to check my fan-mail. You don't really want my help anyways."

Dustin brushed past Kelly on his way to the backroom, where the computer was sitting. Kelly watched him with a strange look before turning to the guys.

"Okay, he's been saying that non-stop now," she said. "What's his deal?"

"I think he's been feeling a bit left out," Blake explained, and Shane nodded.

"Look, Kel, we understand why you don't want to talk. Whatever you're going through, it's a personal issue…"

"Guys, seriously, I've got it…"

"I'm just saying, Dustin's your best friend," Shane continued, interrupting Kelly before she could dismiss his thoughts completely. "You don't have to tell him the whole story, but maybe… let him help you out a bit. You know he's got your back, no matter what."

"Alright, fine," Kelly sighed, "I'll think about it."

"So, do you need our help or not?" Blake asked, changing topics before things got awkward between the three of them. Kelly shook her head.

"No, not everyone's help," she said. "I heard there was a photographer at the skate park. Blake, maybe you can stay back and help Hunter out. Shane, you should maybe go, see if you can grab the photographer's attention and bring Dustin with you. I'll think about it when he's gone."

"Alright, dude," Shane nodded, tapping her on the shoulder as he rushed to the back, pulling Dustin away from the computer.

-Storm-Chargers-

Dustin watched Shane with a big grin on his face as the red Ranger performed every stunt he possibly could to warm himself up for the photographer. When he was done, Shane rode back to Dustin, kicking his board up and high-fiving his friend. Dustin smiled.

"That was awesome, dude," he said.

Shane nodded before pointing across the park to a woman with a camera. Kelly was right about the photographer being in town.

"Dude, you see that woman over there with the rad camera?" he asked. Dustin looked over and nodded. "TransPipe Magazine!"

"No way!" Dustin gasped.

Shane nodded, "Yeah! I'm going for the front-slide 540!"

"Isn't that the trick you've been trying to land for, like, a month?" Dustin asked. Shane nodded his head.

"Yeah, so?"

"I know Cam's the smart one, but I think trying a trick you know you can't land in front of a big magazine photographer is probably not a great plan."

"You just watch!" Shane grinned before running back onto the ramps. Dustin rolled his eyes before he began clapping his hands, doing everything he could to help his friend out.

"Okay, Shane! Go for it, man!"

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly flopped down on the couch with her employees, exhausted. It was only midday, and she had been left with no choice but to close the shop for lunch. As much as she loved all the business coming in, she was going to have to start refusing service if she, or any of the Rangers, wanted to make it through the day.

"That was… insane."

"Insane," Tori frowned, glancing at her hands, "I've been waxing surfboards since I got here! My hands will never be the same again."

"Do you need help turning on the tap?" Blake chuckled when Tori got up to head for the bathroom to wash the wax off her hands. She shook her head.

"No, the whole point of the wax is to strengthen the board's grip. I should be fine."

"Uh, Blake, can you go with her anyways?" Kelly asked. "I kinda need to talk to my sister."

Blake nodded, pushing himself out of his seat, "Sure."

Hunter took a breath, "I, uh… I'm going to go see what's on… the wall over there. Is that a new coat of paint?"

He got up, running to the wall on the other end of the store to give the two sisters some time to talk. Leanne shifted on the couch so she was facing her older sister.

"What's up?"

"I think Dustin's hurting," Kelly stated. "He keeps saying I don't want his help and every time I tell him I'm not ready to talk about… what happened, he has this mood."

"Well, he is your best friend," Leanne nodded, "I'm surprised he still doesn't know."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked. "I didn't want to tell anyone. I only told Tori because she pulled it out of me, and you only know because Tori couldn't keep her mouth shut."

"It was for the best."

"Yeah, well… I don't know what to do. Shane and Blake both think I should talk to Dustin but…"

"Like I said, he is your best friend," Leanne said. "And at dinner, when you ran off, he wanted to go talk to you, but you were in the women's washroom. He couldn't go in. That's why Tori came to see you. She was second best, and she knew it."

"She's not second best…"

"What you and Dustin have is special. He's very protective of you, Kelly, and it hurts him to see you hurting. He wants to help, but he knows he can't unless you let him. He would never do anything to hurt you."

"Sounds like Hunter," Kelly smiled. Leanne frowned, a little surprised by this statement.

"Excuse me?"

"Hunter and I talked. He told me he would never hurt me. It really makes me feel better about this whole thing… knowing that there's someone who would do anything to make sure I'm safe."

"Kinda like Dustin?" Leanne smirked. "I think Shane's right. You should talk to Dustin. Bring him in, even if it's not completely. He does care about you and only wants what's best, and it might help you out."

Kelly nodded, "I guess you're right."

-Storm-Chargers-

Dustin could see Shane was rocking the ramps, and he had really caught the photographer's eye. She had pointed her camera at him five minutes ago and had yet to point away.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, Dustin saw something unusual. In the middle of the park stood a giant mailbox with a long, pierced tongue, terrorizing a few civilians who had the misfortune of running into him. His tongue suddenly whipped forward, licking the man and woman before they turned into stamps, which the monster picked up.

Dustin turned back to the skate park, wanting to get Shane's attention, but he saw how much his friend was enjoying himself, and knew this was Shane's chance for fame. He decided to leave the Red Ranger alone and bolted into a restroom to morph.

Just before the monster was about to lick another couple, Dustin jumped in, smacking the tongue away with his sabre. The monster fell back, holding his tongue in pain while Dustin told the couple to leave quickly. When the monster got back to his feet, Dustin began to fight.

The photographer was so focused on the red skateboarder; she almost missed the biggest scoop of the day. The Yellow Ranger was in the park, fighting off a monster. Thankfully, someone pointed it out, and she, as well as everyone else at the park bolted over to the fight to watch and cheer for the Ranger. She didn't hesitate to take photos. Her publisher was going to love this!

Shane finally built up the courage, speed and power to try his new stunt. He was soaring through the air, spinning around, confidant he would be able to land it and that the photographer would love it. When he did, he was thrilled. He rolled to a stop and kicked his board up, waiting for the cheer of the crowd.

He heard the cheer, but they weren't cheering for him. Shane looked over and saw everyone who had been watching him had moved on to watch the yellow Ranger fight. Upset, and hurt that Dustin would do this, his shoulders dropped forward and he went to sit on a park bench while Dustin posed for pictures.

-Storm-Chargers-

Blake sat in the bathroom while Tori worked on getting the wax off her hands. It wasn't the most comfortable place to hang out with the girl you've been crushing on, but it was better than nothing.

"So, this whole Yellow Ranger thing…" he started. Tori turned to him.

"Dustin's cool," she said. "He won't let this get to his head. We're still a team."

Blake nodded, "I know. I was just going to ask, how do you feel about it? Dustin getting all the glory for the work we've all been doing."

"He's getting the glory for saving Storm Chargers. We didn't do that."

"Some news papers are praising him for saving the world. I've barely seen a mention about the blue Rangers and red Rangers."

"You mean us? That's celebrity life. The big heroes get the fame, and the little people are forgotten. I'm sure it's going to blow over soon, though."

Blake shrugged, not really sure what to say next. Suddenly, Tori started scrubbing her hands roughly and grumbling loudly.

"Stupid wax! I told Kelly this stuff was shit!"

"How did you get it stuck in the first place?" Blake chuckled, coming over to help his friend.

"I don't know. It got really hot and the stuff kinda melted as I used it."

"Here, let me try," Blake said, reaching into the sink and grabbing Tori's hand. He started brushing it off, getting some of the wax that Tori had trouble with. Tori blushed madly, hiding her face behind her hair hoping Blake wouldn't see.

"There," he chuckled as he finished. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Tori could feel Blake was still holding her hand. She bit her lower lip.

"You can let go now."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Blake reached for a towel, offering it to her. Tori shook her head.

"I'm a water Ninja. I don't dry off," she laughed before flicking her fingers in Blake's direction, sending a few water droplets his way. Blake smirked, reaching for the sink, where the way was still running. He cupped his hands, catching the water in a makeshift bowl, before splashing Tori.

Before the blue couple knew it, they had gotten themselves into a huge water fight, sending the clear liquid everywhere. With Tori's element being water, the fight was hardly fair, and Blake found himself soaked from head to toe.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door before Kelly stepped in.

"Hey, Tori, would you mind… what the hell happened here?"

Kelly looked around and saw everything was soaking wet. The bathroom products, the towels, even the floor. Kelly stepped in a little further to see the mess her friends had made and almost slipped on the wet bathroom floor. Thankfully Blake was there to catch her.

"You guys are kidding me," she growled. "Clean this up!"

Tori chuckled nervously, biting her lip once again, "You wanted something."

"Yes, when you're done cleaning this please re-open the store for the afternoon. I'm going to see if I can find Dustin."

Tori nodded while Blake pulled out some paper towels (not that they were going to help, considering they were wet as well). Tori pulled out her phone, checking the time.

"You have five minutes to clean," she told Blake.

"What, me? You made the mess, Water Goddess."

"You see this name-tag?" Tori asked, pointing to a pin on her shirt. "What does it say?"

"Victoria."

"No, under that!"

"Manager."

"What does yours say?"

"Blake."

"Blake…"

"Employee."

Tori tapped his lightly on the cheek, "Good. That means I'm the boss."

Blake rolled his eyes, smiling as Tori slipped and slid out of the bathroom, having other things to do. He watched her leave with a goofy grin on his face.

-Storm-Chargers-

When his fifteen minutes were over (for now), Dustin walked back to the skate park. Shane was back to riding up and down the ramps, landing the front-slide 540 perfectly.

"Right on, you landed it!" he cheered. Shane looked down from the top of the ramp and shook his head. He had taken Dustin here to the park to cheer him up, but it seemed that by helping Dustin, his mood had taken a hit.

"Yeah, too bad nobody was here to see it."

"Hey," Dustin called as Shane started to walk away, "Look, I'm sorry. What was I supposed to do? That freaky tongue thing was going off slobbering people."

"You should have asked me for help!" Shane snapped. "You're really lucky he didn't grab you too!"

"Lucky?" Dustin gasped. "I was all over that guy!"

"Well, take it from someone who's been there. There is no "I" in team."

Dustin scoffed, "Maybe there should be."

Shane heard this and frowned, jumping down the ramp to join his friend. He stood toe to toe with Dustin.

"Dude, what?"

"For the first time in my life, I'm not just the goofy one!" Dustin explained. "I'm getting respect and I'm not about to walk away from that!"

"And I would never ask you to," Shane said.

"Look, these people actually want me!"

"And we don't?"

"I… no."

Shane grabbed his head, trying to contain his anger before looking at Dustin's sad face.

"What do you mean we don't want you?"

"These people need my help," Dustin said, pointing to the park, where people were having a good time. "You guys don't seem to need it. I'm just the goof who…"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Kelly, would it?"

"She doesn't want me either," Dustin sighed. "Now, can we just drop it? I've got a phone interview with another newspaper…"


	36. Andrew Colt

Normally Kelly wasn't supposed to go near the ninja Academy, but she couldn't find Dustin anywhere. The Storm had closed a long time ago and she had made it her first priority to go talk to him and let him know he was still very important to her. Shane was worried that all this attention went to his head and that he was using the attention to fill a void that had been missing since Kelly's little high school story had surfaced.

She remembered how to get the forest just outside the Academy just fine, now all she needed to do was find her little brother. She carefully hopped over and ducked under branches and spun around the trees until she saw him sitting alone on a rock. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked over to him.

"Shane tells me you had a phofne interview," she whispered. Dustin turned, looking up at her for a moment.

"What are you doing here?"

"Do you want to talk?"

"Are Leanne and Tori busy?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. I came out here to find you. I think it's time we had that talk."

"Look," Dustin got up from the rock. "It's cool, Kel. It's something personal and you don't want to tell me. I'm not going to force you."

"And you're not forcing me," Kelly reached out, touching Dustin's arm. "It's come to my attention that I haven't been treating you the way I should."

"You've been treating me fine, Kel. I don't have a problem with that."

"No, I haven't," Kelly said. "Dustin, you're one of my oldest friends, which is a little sad on my part but it's true. And as my best friend, you're entitled to know what's going on in my life, even if it is personal. I just couldn't tell you because I was… embarrassed?"

"I don't want you to feel embarrassed around me, Kel. If you don't want to tell me then…"

"If you ask Leanne, she'll tell you I was raped," Kelly interrupted before Dustin could protest again. "If you ask me, I'll tell you I made a stupid mistake in high school that's haunted me to this very day."

"You… you were raped?"

"I let a guy have what he wanted," Kelly nodded. "He convinced me to go to a party, he got me drunk, we spent the night doing… stuff, and I ran out of the bedroom without my pride, respect or dignity."

"Who did this to you?" Dustin growled, his fists clenched. He was looking around the forest, almost like Drew would come out from behind a tree and accept the beating that was coming his way. Kelly took his hands and smiled.

"Now you know what's been bugging me," she said. "And you know why it was so hard to tell you, or any of the guys. Well, that and… I don't want to go to see a crazy doctor. The more you guys all knew, the more you would be able to help Tori and Leanne convince me to go."

"Maybe you should, Kel," Dustin nodded. Kelly rolled her eyes and sat on the rock.

"Just like that…"

"I don't mean you're crazy, because, dude, you're not… well, trying to run the store on your own while we go out and save the world, that's a little crazy, probably even crazier than trying to save the world because some customers are just so frustrating and you can't punch…"

"Your point, Dustin?" Kelly asked. Dustin sat down beside her on the rock, taking her hands.

"These therapists guys, they know what they're doing. They've seen this a million times…"

"Sadly."

"Yeah… They would know how to help you so you're not scared anymore. You are scared, right?"

Kelly shrugged, "I don't know. Not so much anymore. I talked to Hunter, not about this, but about freaking out at dinner. I trust him now. I no longer feel like what happened between me and Drew will happen between me and him, you know?"

"So, you do like Hunter," Dustin smirked. Kelly smiled and shrugged playfully.

"I don't know."

"Dude, you do! I knew you liked him. No one brings someone up in a conversation that much if they really hated him."

"It was that obvious, huh?"

"Well, I don't know about the other guys, but I saw it."

"Tori and Leanne see it too," Kelly said.

"Yeah, but they're girls. They don't count."

"Whatever you say," Kelly laughed. Dustin's morpher suddenly went off, interrupting their talk. Dustin looked down and sighed deeply.

"That's probably the Slob Goblin, I've got to go."

"Slob Goblin?" Kelly frowned.

"Yeah, he's the monster I met up with earlier in the park. He ran off before I could finish him. I guess he's back."

Before Dustin left Kelly grabbed his arm. She knew he loved all the attention he was getting from the city, and somewhere, deep inside him, he would be thinking about going solo to maybe hold onto that attention. Hopefully, now that she had sorted things out with Dustin, whatever he felt like he was missing was finally back, and the Rangers would work as a team again.

"Hey, yellow," she said. "Don't forget to call your team. He could be dangerous."

Dustin nodded, "Got it, Kel. Thanks!"

Kelly watched him leave and waited until he was far enough before pulling out her cell phone. There was one more thing she had to fix so the Rangers could finally relax and life for them could go back to normal.

As normal as it got for six teenagers fighting evil alien ninjas while wearing tight, rainbow-coloured spandex and who wielded the elemental powers of Air, Earth, Water and Thunder.

She pulled out her phone and dialled the number for Blue Bay Harbour's most popular newspaper.

"Hello? Blue Bay Press? You'll never guess what I saw in the park. The Power Rangers are back together! Hurry up and go check it out!"

-Storm-Chargers-

The following morning Kelly was first out of bed. She was careful not to wake Leanne when she crawled out (she really needed to buy her that bed soon), and she was careful not to wake Tori as she fixed herself a pot of coffee.

She took her coffee downstairs to watch TV. The shop was closed today so Kelly could have a little vacation time, so she didn't have to worry about getting ready on time to open up. She could keep the blinds shut and the door locked while she relaxed on her orange couches with her coffee and a newspaper in hand.

She smiled when she saw the front cover of the newspaper. Because she had tipped off reporters, many photographers and journalists were around while the Rangers fought off the Slob Goblin. The Rangers had all been interviewed and confirmed to reporters and the citizens that they were never going to disband, and no one was going solo. Everything was going to go back to its regular routine. A monster would show up and all six Rangers would come and save the day. The news and the interviews filled up the entire front page, while everything else about the city was on the inside.

The door to Storm Chargers opened when Dustin came in. He had his key on him and twirled it around, whistling a tune. Kelly looked up when she heard the bell, but saw it was Dustin and went back to reading.

Dustin forgot to lock the door behind him when he came in. Normally he arrived just before the store was due to open and never needed to lock.

Kelly flipped her newspaper around, "I see Yellow's not going solo anymore."

"Yeah, you should have seen it. There were tons of reporters after the fight. It was crazy."

"You think they'll leave you alone now that there's not interesting scoop anymore."

"Hopefully," Dustin chuckled. "I don't want to deal with fame every again. It's too complicated."

Shane came into the store. He found the door unlocked, so he didn't bother to lock it up when he came in. He walked over to the counter, tapping on it happily. Kelly shushed him.

"The girls are still sleeping!"

"Then they won't get to see this!" Shane smiled, pulling a magazine out from his sweater pocket. Dustin smiled, taking it from his hands. "You know that reporter from that skate park?"

"Dude, I apologized for that already. Don't make me say it again," Dustin groaned.

"No. Now that the Yellow Ranger is old news, she's published an article on me! She had all the pictures set up, and after the battle I caught up with her at the park. Well, actually, she sought me out! It was magical!"

"Are you turning on us, Shane?" Kelly chuckled. "Magical?"

"You would know what I meant if you were ever famous," Shane smirked. Dustin tapped him on the back.

"Yeah, but dude, I have been famous, and I never said magical."

"Well, whatever you want to call it, that's what it was."

"Old?"

"Boring?"

"Misrepresenting?"

"Oh, good one, Kel."

"You guys suck," Shane grumbled as he headed to the back in search of food. "Anything to eat?"

"There are some leftover pop tarts," Kelly called. Shane shook his head and grabbed some fruit from the mini-fridge.

"Sugar makes me hyper."

"Yeah, and dude, you don't want to see him when he's hyper," Dustin nodded.

"You know, Dustin, at one point, you're going to have to realise that I'm not a dude," Kelly chuckled. "Neither is Tori… and before you start calling her dude too, Leanne's also not a dude."

"What are you talking about?" Dustin asked. Kelly's jaw dropped.

"You mean you don't know?"

Dustin shook his head. Kelly frowned, "You call everyone dude. It's like, the only word you know."

"Dude, I never say dude."

"You just did! Twice!"

"Whatever, dude."

"Again!"

"Maybe you need to get your ears checked, dude," Dustin began to chuckle. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Kelly frowned. If he wasn't across the store she would kick him.

"Now you're just doing it to piss me off," she frowned. "Let me drink my coffee and read the rest of my newspaper in peace."

Dustin nodded, pulling an invisible zipper across his lips as Shane tossed him an apple before running upstairs to scare the girls awake. As Dustin took the first bite, he walked over to the couches.

"So, have you thought about therapy?" he asked, as carefully as he could. Kelly glared up at him.

"This is why I didn't want to tell anyone. They'll think I'm crazy and I need to be send to the coocoo doctor."

"If you admit to being crazy, you won't be crazy," Dustin told her. "Real whackos have no idea they're whackos."

"And you're basing this hypothesis off of all your knowledge in psychology?"

"My dad took Tori to see her therapist one day, because her parents were fighting, and I was forced to tag along. There were a lot of interesting magazines in the waiting room."

"That is a very sad story," Kelly frowned. "What made you stop reading?"

"Ha-ha," Dustin frowned. "The point is you're not crazy if you go to see a therapist. How about one session? I won't tell anyone you went and I'll figure out some way to get Leanne and Tori off your back."

"What if I don't go and you get a raise?"

"How much of a raise?"

"One million dollars!"

"One session, I get Tori and Leanne off your back and I'll run out and get Leanne's bed right now."

"You don't want the raise?"

"Please, Kel, this place isn't even worth a million dollars."

"Yeah, that was a little high, wasn't it?" Kelly said. Dustin gave her the best puppy face he could muster, and Kelly fell victim when she looked up at him and saw it. She groaned loudly as she set her coffee and newspaper down, "Fine. I'll go. But you owe me a vacation day."

"Wait, right now? Don't you need to…?"

"Leanne said I could talk to Sensei Watanabe. That's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to pay a lunatic doctor just so I can rant about my life story, when I don't even want to in the first place."

There was a scream from upstairs. Shane had finally woken up the girls. Dustin shook his head.

"Alright, you go do that, and I'll get Leanne her bed as soon as I rescue Shane from whatever torture Tori and Leanne are going to think of."

"Deal," Kelly nodded.

Dustin bolted up the stairs and Kelly grabbed her car keys. She didn't need to get changed out of her pyjamas if she was just going to see Sensei. No one would be able to tell while she was sitting in her car, and Sensei was a freaking guinea pig.

She skimmed through her keys to try and find the one that locked the front door of the store when someone stepped in. Kelly looked up, realising Shane or Dustin forgot to lock.

"I'm sorry, sir, the store's closed… Drew?"

Drew smiled as he looked down, "Hey, Kelly right? God, it's been forever! How have you been?"

Kelly froze up completely while Drew wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She could barely say anything, never mind scream. She was completely terrified.

Drew didn't notice the odd silence. He looked around the store with a huge smile on his face.

"So, you own this place? That's wicked! I've been looking for a cool sport's shop. I just moved back from Reefside and boy is it boring up there!"

Kelly remained silent. Her eyes locked on Drew.

"How long has it been, Kel? I think the last time we saw each other was the after party in my senior year. I can barely remember that night, I got so drunk! But I do remember you looked so beautiful in that dress you wore… you're actually still very beautiful after all these years."

Drew pulled out a pen from his pocket and grabbed Kelly's hand.

"This is my number. That last digit is either a 3 or a 2, I can't quite remember. It's a new house. Give me a call if you want to catch up some time. And if you don't, I know where you work! Catch you later, Kel!"

Drew left the store just as Hunter walked in. Drew smiled politely while Hunter looked at him strangely. No customers were supposed to be visiting. The store was closed.

Hunter when to turn his confused gaze to Kelly when he noticed she was standing in the middle of the way, completely stiff. He reached out to poke her.

"Yo, Kel, you okay?"

Dustin came back downstairs after having rescued Shane from Leanne and Tori's revenge and notice Hunter trying to snap Kelly out of a trance. He rushed over to her, afraid Hunter may have said something about therapy, or afraid he found out about her secret.

Suddenly, Kelly pointed to the man walking to his car.

"That's Drew," she said in a very low voice.

"Who is Drew?" Hunter asked her.

"He's the guy."

"What guy?" Dustin frowned.

"The guy from the party…"

Hunter didn't understand, but Dustin did. His blood started to boil the moment he realised who Drew was. He looked to Hunter.

"You take care of her," he told the older man. "I have something I need to do."

Hunter wrapped his arms around Kelly, not too sure what to do. He led her over to the couch, thinking maybe getting Drew out of her sight might help.

Outside, Dustin stomped across the parking lot. Just before Drew got in his car, he heard his name being called. He turned around and saw Dustin marching over.

"Do you need something, little man?" he asked. "Do we know each other? Wait, let me guess, you're Sasha's little…"

Drew was cut off when Dustin's fist met his face, knocking him to the ground a few feet away. This man may have been just under 10 years older than Dustin, but he was no match for the angry earth Ninja.

"You little piece of shit," Dustin growled, kicking Drew in the stomach before walking off. Drew coughed and waited to catch his breath before getting up. He leaned against his car.

"What the hell did I do to piss him off?" he asked. He saw Dustin going back into Storm Chargers and frowned. Did Kelly send him out? Why would she do that?

He kicked his own tire before stuffing his car keys in his jacket. He was going to settle this once and for all. No one punched Andrew Colt and walked off scot-free.


	37. The Date

Drew stormed over to Storm Chargers, very pissed off about being punched in the face without a reason. The little man who thought he could get the better of him needed to explain himself, and fast, if he didn't want to have Andrew Colt on his ass. Kelly had a lot of explaining to do as well if she was the one who sent that man out to hit him.

Before opening the door to Storm Chargers, Andrew stopped. Sure, he had been the number one athlete in his school in every sport, and sure, he was a pretty big guy, but he didn't know how many people were inside Storm Chargers. It was best to wait this one out, until he found Kelly, or the little man, alone. There could have been two or three more men waiting inside, and if he went in threatening trouble, he would be outnumbered. No matter how strong he thought he was, he didn't like those odds.

So, Drew turned around, went back to his car and drove off.

-Storm-Chargers-

Hunter sat across from Kelly, watching her as she shook. Shane came downstairs, rubbing his head and groaning loudly, until he noticed Kelly and Hunter.

Dustin stormed back into the shop at the moment and rushed over to his boss, taking the spot right next to her.

Shane walked over, "What's going on?"

Dustin shook his head, "Nothing."

"That's not nothing," Hunter frowned. "Last time she did that…"

Hunter turned to the door. The man who had been leaving earlier was walking away from the store and getting in his car. He gazed at him for a moment, confused, and then frowned.

"Kel, did this guy hurt you?" he asked.

"What guy?" Shane frowned. "Did someone come in here?"

Kelly pulled into Dustin for comfort, "You can tell them," she whispered. Dustin looked down at her, a little surprised.

"What?"

"Just tell them," she repeated. "They're going to find out."

"What?" Hunter asked, turning to Shane. The Red Ranger shrugged. Hunter looked back, "That guy did hurt you, didn't he?"

"He took advantage of Kelly when they were in high school," Dustin said.

Hunter looked pissed off as he got up from the couch and started pacing. Every time he would approach a wall he would go to punch it, but pull away and walk the other way.

Shane's jaw dropped in utter shock.

"No way…"

"He was the first guy I fell in love with," Kelly whispered. "And he broke my heart."

"I'll break his face," Hunter growled. Dustin looked at him.

"Already did that, dude."

"Not good enough," Hunter shouted. "I saw the guy walking away after you came in."

"I wasn't going to kill him," Dustin frowned.

Hunter scoffed, "I would have."

Kelly wiped her eyes when she heard the girls were coming down the stairs. She got up from the couch and turned to the boys.

"Not another word," she told them. "I'll handle this my own way."

"Kelly, we can help," Shane said. Kelly shook her head.

"I've got this."

Tori walked into the front room with a smile on her face, until her eyes fell upon Shane. She glared at him.

"Good morning," she said. Shane glared back.

"Good morning."

Kelly noted that the surfer looked ready for the beach. She took a deep breath to make sure it didn't look like she had been crying and spoke: "Are you going surfing?"

"Might as well enjoy my day off," Tori nodded. "Some people are just going to spend their vacation time working."

Leanne stepped out from the back room at that moment, "Cam asked me if I could teach him a few moves with the Thunder staff. Who am I to say no?"

"You're training on your vacation," Tori frowned. "You definitely are a Sensei's daughter."

"I thought you were the responsible one," Leanne smirked. "If you're going to blow off critical training time, I don't want to know what these boys are going to do."

Tori stuck her tongue out, "All work and no play…"

"Fuck off," Leanne laughed, shoving her friend away.

"That didn't rhyme!"

"Have a good time!"

"Dammit," Tori frowned. She blew a raspberry at Leanne and waved goodbye to her friends. She was going to meet up with Blake at the beach. She had promised him a while back that she would never go surfing without a buddy, and he volunteered to be her water buddy anytime she wanted to go to the beach. She knew he really did care about her safety, and that was one of the reason he took the "job", but she also knew he just wanted to see her in a bathing suit. She didn't mind though. She liked seeing him in a bathing suit too.

Leanne waved goodbye to her friends as well.

Shane turned to Hunter, Kelly and Dustin, "They're really getting close, aren't they?"

"You should see them at dinner time," Kelly frowned. "No matter how much food is on the table, there's never enough… and yet, somehow, there are always leftovers in my fridge."

Dustin nudged his boss, "What are you going to do about this Drew thing?" he asked her. Kelly shrugged.

"I don't know. Seeing him again… it just…"

"Just what?" Hunter asked. Kelly shivered.

"I've got to shower," she told the boys. "I feel dirty."

When Kelly went upstairs Dustin sighed. He sat back down on the couch and started hitting his head against the wall.

"I was so close," he said, "so close to getting her to go see Sensei to talk about what happened. And then he had to show up and ruin everything."

-Storm-Chargers-

While Kelly was in the shower she had nothing to do but think about what had happened. She was just on her way to go talk to Sensei, like Dustin suggested when out of the blue Drew showed up.

At first, when the scene replayed itself in her head, Kelly thought it was a sign. She wasn't meant to move on from what happened. She had tried to get some help, tried to make things right again, but it seemed like fate wouldn't have it. But when Kelly got out of the shower and thought about it again, she focused on her reaction.

All along she had been telling herself, and her sister, that she would be able to deal with what happened and that she didn't need help. But seeing Drew again proved to her that she wasn't dealing. When she had seen him, her entire body froze up. She had no idea what to do. She didn't know if she should run to Dustin and Shane or if she should fight Drew and hurt him like he hurt her.

If she had truly been over what happened back in high school, she would have had more control. She wouldn't have been frozen in fear. She would have seen him, and dealt with the way anybody else would deal with an enemy from their past.

She decided it was probably best if she still go talk to Sensei. It wouldn't hurt her to vent her emotions and listen to what the wise guinea pig had to saw. Maybe he would even saw something that would make everything better.

She knew answers weren't that easy to find, but she could hope. She wrapped her towel around herself and pulled her hair up. She picked out some clothes and threw them on quickly, not bothering to dry herself off properly before she did. She made sure her teeth were brushed and that she looked decent before heading back downstairs.

"I'm heading out!" she called to the guys, just to let them know she wasn't going to be in the store anymore. She had her cell phone on her, like she always did, so they would be able to reach her without knowing where she was. She would tell them about her meeting with Sensei when she got back.

Leanne had taken the Storm Charger van instead of her convertible to get to Ninja Ops, leaving Kelly with the option of taking her sister's car, or walking. She knew Leanne didn't like driving her convertible into the woods just outside the Wind Academy because it wasn't "convertible friendly" so Kelly decided to walk. It would give her more time to think about how she was feeling, and what she was going to say, before she talked to Sensei Guinea Pig about her personal issues.

She made it to the outskirt of town. The beginning of the forest wasn't too far away, and from there it would only be a five minute walk to the waterfall. Just as the concrete path started to turn into dirt she heard footsteps behind her.

"Kel, wait up!" she heard a man call. She rolled her eyes, praying Shane, Dustin or Hunter hadn't decided to follow her.

"What?" she asked, only to freeze up for the second time that day when she noticed the man chasing after her was Drew. He caught up and grabbed her arm.

"What the hell?" he barked. Kelly looked at him. She was truly alone this time and Drew didn't seem very happy. She took a deep breath and succeeded to calm herself down and summon enough courage to speak.

"What?"

"Do you see this bruise on my face, babe?" Drew asked, pointing to his eye. Kelly noticed it was very black. She nodded. Drew crossed his arms, "Well, explain."

"You ran into something eye first?" Kelly suggested. Drew chuckled mockingly.

"No," he said. "You sent that little man out to punch me in the parking lot!"

"The… what? I did no such thing!"

Drew took a step forward and Kelly instantly took a step back. She was speaking to him, that didn't mean she was comfortable around him.

"Then why do I have a black eye?"

"I don't know."

"Why would that little man punch me? He doesn't know me!"

"His name is Dustin," Kelly said. "And maybe he punched you because of what you did."

"What did I do?" Drew asked. "I never did anything to you, or him! I've never seen him before."

"What you did to me, Drew."

"Did what? I was nothing but nice to you! I was the perfect gentleman! Your father approved!"

"You… you…" Kelly couldn't say it. The words couldn't come out of her mouth. She had been able to say it to Dustin, Shane and Hunter, but now that she was face to face with the man who hurt her, she couldn't get the words passed her lips. She couldn't accuse him directly of taking advantage of her. It sounded… wrong.

"I did what?" Drew asked. "C'mon, Kel, what did I do that was so terrible? Did I ever hit you?"

"No…"

"Then what the hell could I have done that was so bad?"

"I…" Kelly lowered her head, "I can't remember."

Drew smiled, "Okay, so why did you send that little man out to hit me."

"I didn't tell him to hit you," Kelly said. "He's just… he's… I can't explain it… him… this…"

"Well, for avoiding me during the last few days of the year, for losing touch, and for indirectly giving me a black eye, you, Kel-Bel, owe me, Andrew Colt, a second date."

"I do?"

"C'mon, Kel, how bad could it be? You don't have a boyfriend right now, do you?"

"Not particularly…"

"Then meet me… here, tonight," Drew smiled. "We'll go on a walk in this forest. You and I can catch up. I'll bring a picnic basket."

Kelly felt the panic setting in. The forest was an isolated place. She knew Drew probably meant no harm, but she couldn't trust him. If he brought alcohol, he might force her to drink again, like he did at the after-party, and he might lose control, just like at the after-party. She could feel herself tensing up as she thought about where the date could go from there. Drew smiled when she didn't decline and kissed her on the cheek. Before he left, Kelly spoke up.

"A double date!" she called, not too sure why she did. Her mouth was just going. She figured it was instinct, trying to do what it could in this moment to keep her calm. "You and me, and two of my friends. They come to this forest a lot and they can show us around. They tell me there's some history in this forest."

"As long as it's not the little man, that's cool," Drew nodded. "And as long as we do get time alone. Dinner together, then, maybe, we can go our separate ways? We'll figure it out."

"Yeah…" Kelly nodded. Drew smiled and leaned in for another kiss, this time on the lips, but Kelly had enough control to pull away.

Drew wasn't used to this. He always got what he wanted, especially with the women. He was a babe magnet, and no one said no. He figured maybe she just needed a little pushing, or maybe she was playing hard to get. He grabbed her and tried to pull her in again, but Kelly pulled away, again.

Drew started to chuckle. He had met girls like her before. They loved to play hard to get and when they pushed away, it was only because they wanted him to try harder.

Misreading her signals entirely, Drew grabbed Kelly and pushed her against one of the first trees of the forest. He pinned her arms up over her head and planted a kiss on her lips. Kelly struggled to push him away. Thankfully, Drew didn't let the kiss last too long, though. He pulled back, offered her a smile before turning back.

Kelly watched him leave for a moment before bolting into the forest, trying to get to Ninja Ops as quickly as possible.

-Storm-Chargers-

Leanne slammed her hand down on the table after hearing what happened to her sister, just outside the Academy. She couldn't believe it. She looked at Kelly.

"You should have said no!" she shouted. "In fact, you should have told him, the moment you saw him, what happened!"

"Leanne, calm down," Sensei told her. He hadn't said much, or asked many questions while Kelly told her story, unlike Leanne and Cam. He had just stood there, on the table, and listened. "It seems to me that Drew isn't a bad guy."

"Not a…" Leanne frowned, turning to Sensei. "Do you not remember what he did?"

"Dad might have a point," Cam nodded. Leanne turned to him, glaring sharply.

"You're taking his side?"

"Drew doesn't remember what he did," Cam said, "And from what Kelly told me about the after-party, I'm guessing he's not lying about that. So when she said yes to his date, he must have thought it was okay to…"

"It's not okay," Leanne growled. She turned to Kelly, "And you shouldn't have let him! Kick him in the balls and run away!"

"It's not that easy," Kelly said.

"Yes it is! Kids can do it. You lift up your leg, hit him in the nuts and while he's dying a slow and painful death, you run away!"

Kelly turned away from her sister and looked at Sensei, "I'm not going on the date alone."

"You're not?" he asked. Kelly nodded.

"He agreed to make it a double. I thought, maybe Tori and Blake could tag along. Tori knows what happened, and she can fill Blake in before they go."

"Maybe then you can tell him what happened," Cam suggested. "Maybe if he knows, he'll apologise and back off."

Leanne raised her hands in the air, "Are we just ignoring me now?" she asked.

Sensei continued to look at Kelly, "I know it must not be easy for you, having to relive your past this way, but this date could be for the best. If Drew does not know what he's done wrong, this is the perfect chance to tell him."

"I don't want Kelly going near him!" Leanne shouted, but her voice was unheard.

"Do you think so, Sensei?" Kelly asked. Sensei nodded.

"Tori and Blake will be there to protect you. No matter their prior commitments, they will accompany you on this date. I'm sure they won't have a problem with that."

"And in the off chance that Drew is a psychopath, Tori and Blake will be there to fight him off," Cam explained. He turned to Leanne, decided best not to ignore the worried younger sister, "It's for the best. Drew will never leave her alone if he doesn't know."

"I can go out there and kill him now," Leanne said, picking up her thunder staff and her mask, "He won't know who, or what, hit him."

"Leanne," Sensei called. Leanne turned to him. "It's best if you let Kelly deal with her own monsters. I know it's hard for you to sit back, but you will not get involved in this matter."

"Sensei, this is my family!"

"Then you will do what's right," Sensei nodded.

"And anyways, I thought the big sisters were supposed to protect the little ones," Cam chuckled. "Not the other way around."

"Yeah, well my little sister is a Thunder Ninja and a pro with that freaky staff thing," Kelly said, pointing to Leanne's Thunder Staff. "And my monsters are pretty big."

Leanne looked to Sensei, "No offense, Sensei Watanabe, but I'm not sitting on the sidelines during this date," she turned to Kelly, "I'll be hiding somewhere in the forest if you need me. You'll never be alone, so don't be afraid. Say what you need to Drew. He's not going to be able to lay a finger on you."

Kelly smiled, "Thanks, Leanne. That helps."


	38. Kelly Talks to Drew

Kelly's fingernails were almost completely gone, and the date was barely halfway done. She had already eaten dinner with Tori, Blake and Drew, and then the two couples went their separate ways for "alone" time. Tori and Blake knew what they were supposed to be doing on the date and took their jobs rather seriously. Though they were nowhere in sight, they were still close enough to Kelly and Drew in case things turned sour and Kelly needed help.

Like she promise, Leanne was also present; she had just hidden herself so well that Kelly hadn't seen a sign of her. She wasn't even sure her sister was there, so while Drew went on about his after-high-school-life story, Kelly was nervously looking around, hoping maybe to spot her sister up in the trees or anywhere close.

Drew noticed Kelly was nervous and interrupted himself by reaching out to touch her arm. Kelly hadn't been paying attention at all and didn't notice he had stopped. When she felt his hand on her, she jumped in the air, getting some impressive height for someone who had been sitting on her butt. Drew chuckled.

"Hey, babe, you okay?" he asked her. "You seem a little nervous."

Kelly looked over at him. She would never be ready to talk to him, but she knew that was the whole purpose of this date was to tell him what happened all those years ago and her true feelings for him.

"Drew… we need to talk."

"Whoa, calm down, babe," Drew chuckled. "We've barely finished this date. Give me a bit more of a chance."

"I… I can't," Kelly said. She glanced around once more. She knew she had to talk to Drew, but she would feel more comfortable if Leanne showed herself, even for a moment. There was a little voice in her head telling her Leanne had left her alone and that Tori and Blake were too far to really help her out.

"Can't what?" Drew asked. "C'mon, babe. You know, if there's anything bothering you, we can talk. We used to be so close, what happened to us? After prom you just…"

"You really don't remember what happened, do you?"

Drew shook his head, "I got a little hammered that night… you know how high school is. I'm sure you got hammered on the night of your prom too."

Kelly sighed, "I didn't go to my prom."

Drew frowned, tilting his head to the side in confusion, "You didn't… why not? No date? That's hard to believe, you were hot… you are hot."

"I was asked by a lot of the boys… but I turned them all down. The night of my prom I stayed home in my pyjamas and watched a movie with my dad."

"Prom is the best night of your life!" Drew exclaimed, "How can you turn it down?"

"When you have a terrible experience in grade 10 you don't want to repeat what happened."

"Did something happen while I was in the bathroom or something?" Drew frowned. "Did one of the girls tease you? I told them to…"

"No… it's not that."

Drew looked at Kelly, a little worried. She was usually very confident but right now she seemed rather down and shy. She had a secret and she was hiding it from him. He wanted to know. He had a right to know. He was her boyfriend, after all.

"Then what?" he asked. "Tell me, Kel-Bel. Did one of the guys touch you? I told them to keep their hands off. You were mine."

"They didn't touch me," Kelly said. She took a deep breath. It was going to come out sooner or later. "You did."

"Of course I did," Drew chuckled, "You were mine, like I said. Touching was part of the package."

"I don't mean holding hands or anything like that… you were drunk and… so was I. The others at the party encouraged you to take me to bed and… have sex."

Drew shook his hand, waving it off like a crazy idea.

"No way. I didn't do that. I would remember having sex with someone like you."

"You were too drunk to really remember anything," Kelly whispered, lowering her head. She played with her hands nervously. Up to now everything had gone smoothly. Drew hadn't done anything to scare her. He was being a little too cozy with her, but given he didn't remember what happened the night of prom, Kelly couldn't really blame him. "I'm pretty sure right after I walked out the bedroom door you passed out again."

"I never touched you like that," Drew said, his voice a little deeper. "What do you think I am? Some sort of creep who just wants in your pants."

"No… but you did… I was drunk too… not as drunk but…"

"Well, there you go," Drew said, "You were drunk too. You can't pin the blame on me if you were intoxicated as well. Misunderstanding averted."

"You got me drunk!" Kelly said. "I didn't feel right going to the after-party but you refused to drive me home. You told me to take a drink to calm myself down. I was sixteen; I didn't know what I was doing!"

"Then what were you doing drinking?" Drew asked. "And just because I told you to have a drink doesn't mean you had to take it! Why are you blaming me for this?"

"Because I trusted you and you let me down!"

"You let yourself down, babe," Drew shrugged. "I remember offering you a drink, but I didn't force it down your throat. You took it willingly."

"So?"

"So, this all your fault," Drew leaned back. Kelly couldn't blame him for his mistake. It was her own fault she drank and if he got her into bed, she must have done something to lead him there. She did look good in that dress. "You took the drink… and if I remember correctly, you continued to drink."

"You told me to!"

"Again, I didn't shove it down your throat."

"But you did shove your tongue down my throat!" Kelly screamed, getting to her feet quickly. Drew didn't like feeling overpowered. He jumped up to his feet too. Kelly realised her mistake. Drew wasn't short, nor was he small. He stood, towering over her, making her more nervous than she already was.

"It takes two to kiss," Drew said. "Did you push me away…"

"I… no…" Kelly sighed. She didn't push him away and she wasn't going to lie about it. Back then she thought that by giving into the kiss she may have given him what he wanted and he would pull away and leave her alone. She never thought she would end up in the bedroom with him. In hindsight, she realised that by letting him kiss her, she had let things escalate and get out of control.

"So you were all for it."

"I didn't… I mean… When you kissed… you…"

Drew shrugged, "Face it, babe. You brought this on yourself. If you had just said something or told me to stop I would have. But you let it continue. I don't remember sleeping with you but… you know what, I'll let you believe it happened. But I won't let you believe I forced myself onto you. You were obviously the one who let it happen. It's your own fault, babe. I'm just the tool you used. If anything, you raped me."

Kelly eyes began to tear. She had been telling herself that same story for years. Only when she had told Leanne about what happened did she start to believe she had been lying to herself. Now Drew was pinning the blame on her, and though Kelly knew he was wrong, she couldn't help but believe that maybe he did have a point.

Drew smirked. He shoved Kelly before he turned around and found himself standing before what appeared to be an angry red head.

"Well," she said, "you were right about one thing. You are a tool."

Before Drew knew it, the red head punched him right in the nose, sending him flying right into the ground. Drew wiped the blood from his nose and was about to jump up until the red head came down, hitting him in the side of the head. Drew felt himself rolling over and the red head pushed her knee into his back while twisting his arm. She knelt down and whispered into his ear.

"Touch my sister again and I'll make sure you suffer as much as she did the night you raped her," she growled.

Drew chuckled, "Hey, you're hot. I'll go for it."

"I've got a team of very skilled ninjas who would do anything to help me protect my sister. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping me dispose of a dead body if it came down to that. Now get up, head back into town and if you breathe a word about this to anyone, you're as good as dead, Colt."

"Ninjas? We're not in Japan… C'mon, you have to be kidding me."

"Run the risk, see if I care what happens to me," Leanne pulled Drew back to his feet and shoved him towards the entrance of the forest.

"I can have you charged," Drew shouted. "Assault and threatening to murder me."

Leanne walked over to him. At full height, she only reached about his shoulders. Compared to him, she was an extremely tiny woman, and though she could probably kick his ass at any given moment, she knew how to play sweet and innocent, especially if the cops were involved.

"You do that, but you'll probably get laughed at at the police station. Those guys have seen assault and death threats, and I doubt the victims are usually twice as big, or twice as strong as the person their accusing."

Drew looked over at Kelly, "Are you really going this far? Dude, I didn't do anything to you and you know it. You're just so full of regret and bullshit that you're trying to take the blame off yourself," he scoffed, shaking his head, "And dude, I don't even know what you have to regret. I've slept with so many women since prom, and they've all been very, very satisfied. I probably gave you the night of your life…"

"Shut up, Drew," Kelly frowned.

Drew wasn't going to listen to her. He was in charge.

"You know what," he said. "You've probably slept with hundreds of men since then, and none of them have been as good… and you're just so… sexually frustrated, you don't know what you're doing! If you had just played nice, maybe we could have slept together again."

Leanne shoved him, "Two of my friends are here right now," she whispered. "They're watching your every move. Get lost before they decide to come out and play."

"Whatever," Drew scoffed, "I'm out of here. I don't want to be the victim in this little game anymore."

When he was gone, Tori and Blake dropped from the trees. Leanne turned to her sister while the two blue Rangers ran towards the entrance of the forest, just to make sure Drew was actually leaving.

Leanne approached her sister, "You okay, Kel?"

Kelly nodded, "Yeah… as long as he never comes back."

"Don't worry about him," Leanne smiled. "If I ever see his face I'll take care of it…"

"Thanks… but… I just can't shake off what he said," Kelly admitted. "He was right. I did let him do some things."

"You were sixteen and scared. We all do stupid things when we're scared. He's just… in denial about what happened. He'll do everything he can to make you believe it was your fault. That's the only way he thinks he'll be guilt free."

"But… some of it is true."

"Kel," Leanne smiled, "If you listen to that scumbag instead of me… I'll break up with you."

"Break up with… what?"

"I'm a highly trained Ninja. I have a reputation to maintain. Father's going to train me to be a Sensei when he thinks I'm ready, just like his father trained him. I come from a long line of strong, including Blake and Hunter. I can't have some push-over, coward as my sister. Honour before family."

"Leanne!" Kelly cried. She knew Leanne was only joking.

Leanne shrugged, "Hey, it's true. So, take responsibility for your actions and admit you were wrong, but stand your ground. Drew did you wrong and he'll never admit it if you don't admit it to yourself first."

Kelly rolled her eyes and playfully pushed her sister, "Alright… whatever you say."

"Hey, I said don't be a push over!" Leanne chuckled, pushing her sister back. "Stand up for yourself."

Kelly rolled her eyes, "You're impossible."

Tori and Blake rushed back to the two sisters.

"Drew's gone," Tori said, "But we have another problem."

"I don't want to speak ill of my own gender… but you can't leave men alone for too long… even the smart ones. Bad things happen," Blake continued.

Leanne and Kelly exchanged looks, "Like?"

"Everyone's at Ninja Ops. Just… follow us," Blake said. He took off while the girls stayed behind for a second. Tori turned to the older women.

"It's actually funnier than it is a problem… and unfortunately it needs to be fixed."

-Afterlife-

Kelly chuckled, "This is too funny. If this is what you Rangers deal with, sign me up."

"This isn't funny, dude!" Dustin cried as he looked up at Kelly. While Kelly, Leanne, Tori and Blake were dealing with Drew, the boys had been left on their own. Somehow, that meant Dustin was turned into a guinea pig, and Sensei was in Dustin's body. "This fur itches! Sensei, how do you live like this?"

Tori rolled her eyes, again. She still couldn't believe this had happened. Now she understood why all the Ranger teams before her had at least two women, according to Power Ranger geek Dustin. It was so that when one had to leave the group for a little bit, the other would still be around, and the boys and their testosterone wouldn't do something stupid. Sensei was intimidating, even as a guinea pig, but Dustin was cute and adorable. She found it hard to believe that cute and adorable would help her and the others save the world and the other Academies from Lothor.

"I stopped by Storm Chargers for a bit," Cam said to Blake and the girls, trying to explain what happened. "I wanted to ask Kel for some more tips for fencing and I ran into Hunter and Shane. We talked for a bit then Dustin came in with his dad."

"Don't blame my dad for this, dude," Dustin frowned. "I feel for you guys, really, I do. But it's not my fault I still have one… right Shane?"

"Don't drag me into this, bro," Shane said, backing away. "I don't want to take any credit for this."

"Hunter and I were talking about how we missed our dads…" Cam started

"Yours is still around," Leanne frowned, pointing to the guinea pig. "He was just… small, furry and… I'm sorry Sensei, but honestly, you were so cute and cuddly.

"And this is why Power Rangers are generally men," Blake sighed. "Women can be left on their own, but I'm pretty sure a team of only women wouldn't be able to destroy a monster if it were cute."

"Hey, we would so be… shut up," Tori frowned, crossing her arms. Blake chuckled, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Tori playfully tried to pull away, but Blake didn't let go. He continued to hold her.

"Anyways," Cam continued, "I figured I do still have my dad… and maybe I could bring him back somehow. So I quickly put this thing together, to try and get his human body back. Dustin, Shane and hunter were here helping me and when we were doing the transformation… Dustin got stuck."

"I would like to point out that Shane was stuck first," Dustin said, sticking his little hand in the air. Kelly squeaked when she saw him trying to do this and poked his stomach, causing him to fall back. "DUDE!"

"Sorry… it's just too cute. You know, a pet guinea pig would be cool for the store… kids love pets…"

Tori looked over at Shane after hearing Dustin's comment and shook her head. Shane noticed her and frowned.

"What?"

"How did _you _get stuck?" she asked. "Dustin doesn't surprise me… but I didn't think…"

"Cam thought something was going wrong and asked me to help him shut it off. When I pulled a wire it… got me."

"So, if you could put Shane back in his body… why can't you just switch Sensei and Dustin?" Leanne asked Cam. He shrugged.

"It's already taken up a lot of power. The machine needs to be fixed, after Dustin's little blunder, and then charged."

"So, Dustin's stuck like this for how long?" Hunter asked.

"Until I get this machine fixed… I won't know for sure."

"How long will it take to be fixed?" Dustin asked. "My butt itches and… wait a minute."

Dustin realised animals could always get away with scratching themselves in the presence of women and reached behind to relieve the itch. Kelly cooed softly.

"Aww, that's still so cute."

"CAM! Fix it! I liked it better when she smacked me for scratching my butt."

Cam chuckled, "I'll see what I can do, Dustin."

"In the meantime we better get back to the store," Kelly smiled, holding her hand out so Dustin could hop on. "I've got customers to get back to and after everything that happened today I could use a bit of normal."

"Yeah, how did that go?" Hunter asked, following her out.

"Leanne threatened to kill him… but… I told him what happened," Kelly said. "He's blaming me for it. I just want to forget about it. It's over and done with."

"And we have bigger fish to fry," Shane nodded, catching up to the two with Leanne. "My best friend's a hamster."

"Dude, I'm a guinea pig," Dustin frowned. "Get it right, man."

Tori and Blake hung back for a moment. Cam and Sensei were going to be busy trying to fix the machine and the others were headed outside. They had a quick moment alone. With Tori still wrapped in his arms, Blake leaned down, kissing her cheek.

"The others are pretty dense not to notice," he whispered.

"It's a good thing, though," Tori said. "I feel kinda bad. The whole point of this date was the protect Kelly, not hook up."

"We did our job," Blake smiled. "She's safe, Drew's gone. There's nothing to feel bad about."

Tori bit her lip, "I guess… but do you mind keeping this under wraps for a little bit. It would be awkward telling Kelly that we were making out while she was trying to deal with Drew."

"One kiss and my lips are sealed," Blake said. Tori turned around and kissed him.

Sensei, in Dustin's body, glanced over his shoulder for a quick second and smiled. He knew the two Academies would come together one day. He never thought it would be literally.

"Let's go," Tori whispered when she pulled away, and Sensei turned back around. Tori motioned to the exit, "Before the others get suspicious."


	39. Drew at Storm Chargers

"You know," Dustin smirked, settling into the couch with his one popcorn in one hand, and a thimble full of soda in the other hand, "I might be able to get used to this life."

"Incoming," Tori called as she took a seat on the couch, bringing her blanket with her. It floated down slowly, covering the couch entirely, while Tori laid down. Her day had been rather exhausting, and she was more than ready to hit the sack and go to bed.

Dustin crawled out from under her legs, holding his now squished popcorn and an empty thimble.

"Thanks, dude," he frowned. "Now what am I going to eat?"

Kelly placed down a bag of guinea pig food on the coffee table, right next to a giant water bowl. She picked Dustin up and set him down beside his food and water.

"That should last you until you can be turned back," she chuckled.

"Where am I going to sleep?" Dustin asked, looking around Kelly, Leanne and Tori's loft. "There are no extra beds… and I'm not bunking with any of you guys…"

"We might roll over," Tori nodded, smiling. "Or you could get trapped between the sofa cushions, and we might lose you forever."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Dustin frowned, crossing his furry, little arms. Tori reached over and gently scratched his head.

"I've never had a pet before."

"What about your goldfish?" Dustin asked. "I thought your dad bought one for you and your sister."

"He did, but he accidentally killed it before we had the chance to visit him," Tori sighed. "It was a sad day in the Hanson household."

"I wasn't allowed to have pets either," Leanne pointed out. "Father always thought they would be a distraction for my training… and they weren't allowed on school grounds."

"Boy, your childhoods were so sad," Kelly chuckled. "I had a rabbit when I was a kid. A cute, little, black rabbit."

"Oh, Snowball!" Dustin smirked. He remembered Kelly talking about the rabbit when he first started working at Storm Chargers. Her mother had gotten it for her when she was five, and it passed away the same year her mother did. She had a picture of it set up in her office for a little while when the store was just getting started, to remind her of her mother. It was better than just having a picture of her everywhere.

"You named a black rabbit Snowball?" Leanne frowned. "What do you think a snowball looks like?"

"I was five, give me a break," Kelly said. She pointed to Tori, "Anyways, I'm not the Queen of odd names. This one still has her very first teddy bear tucked away in her suitcase. Do you know what she called it?"

Leanne cringed, "I don't think I want to know…"

Tori bit her lower lip nervously and buried her head in her pillow, "Dr. Sal Martin."

"That's not too bad," Leanne said. Dustin shook his head and hopped over to Tori's suitcase, which was sitting right beside the couch. He jumped in (literally) and grabbed onto the teddy bear. Slowly, and with a lot of struggling, he pulled it out. Leanne leaned over to pick it up, and set Dustin down on the coffee table so he wouldn't have to jump again. She held the bear up and frowned.

"It's a glittery white bear with pink hearts all over it and a tutu," she said. "Obviously, whoever made this bear wanted a little girl to have it and name it something like Princess Buttercup… and you name it Sal Martin?"

Tori ripped the bear out of Leanne's hands and hugged it close to her chest. She rubbed its back soothingly.

"When I was little I thought he was just a boy who didn't mind girly stuff…"

"Did you realise he was really a transsexual teddy bear who paid for that medical degree with illegal dollars?"

"He's just very confused about his sexual orientation," Tori said defensively. "We all go through it!"

"Yahuh," Leanne nodded. "On that disturbing note, I'm going to go to bed. Anymore secrets anyone wants to share?"

"Kelly farts in her sleep!"

Leanne turned back to Tori, "I share a bed with her… I know that."

Dustin sat down on the coffee table and watched the little exchange between the girls while munching on his food. This was highly entertaining to him. It was like they forgot he was here and he got to see girls in their natural habitat.

Kelly glared at the blonde as she led Leanne into the bedroom, "Goodnight, Tori. Goodnight, Dr. Martin."

Dustin wrinkled his nose when Kelly forgot about him, "Um, excuse me? Guinea pig in the room about to go to bed as well."

"Sorry," Kelly chuckled. "Goodnight, Dustin."

Dustin smirked, nodding his head in satisfaction as Leanne and Kelly retreated into their bedroom and Tori turned off the light. There was a small, little nightlight that Kelly kept in the hallway just in case she, or anyone else, needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Because she lived in a one person loft, everything in her house was basically condensed into one room, and that meant that, occasionally there might be something on the floor just waiting to be stepped on or tripped over. Tori had no problem sleeping with the light on, and Dustin found it useful at this moment as he tried to make a bed for himself.

He saw the box of tissues and immediately dove for it. He used his teeth to rip the plastic off the opening, creating a nice little hole to crawl in to. He lowered himself into the box, where the tissues served as a rather plush mattress for him, and the top one was used as a blanket to keep warm. Though his fur would do all the work there, Dustin loved having at least one layer of blanket covering him as he slept. It completed the goodnight feeling.

Goodnight feeling didn't last for long though when Tori sneezed and was in need of a tissue. Unaware that the box was now Dustin's bed, she reached in, grabbing the first tissue, Dustin's blanket, and ripping it right off him. Dustin grumbled and crawled back to the surface.

"Yo, I'm trying to sleep here!"

Tori looked at him nervously, "Sorry… I forgot you were a guinea pig."

Dustin dropped back and had to rearrange his bed again. As he closed his eyes for sleep, he began to dread what was going to happen in the morning.

-Storm-Chargers-

"He shouldn't be buying those gloves, dude…" Dustin groaned as he watched Hunter make a sale from his cage on the counter. "He should be buying the cheaper ones. The quality's not as great, but there's much better suited for beginners."

"You'll love these gloves," Hunter smiled as he rang up the product and placed it in a bag, "Flexible, durable and easy to wear."

"Thanks, dude," the customer said, taking the bag and handing Hunter the money. He caught a glimpse of Storm Chargers newest addition and tapped the plastic walls, "Hey, when did you get this little guy."

Hunter leaned down to look inside Dustin's cage. Unfortunately Kelly refused to let Dustin roam around the store freely. Though he was technically a human, just trapped in a guinea pig's body, there was no way she could tell customers that. And even if she did, the odds that they would believe her were very slim. For Dustin's safety, and to keep customers from complaining about rats in the store, Kelly had him in a cage.

"Oh, this little guy?" he smirked, "He's been here for a long time. The owner just decided to put him on display today."

Dustin turned and glared at his friend, "Not funny, dude," he whispered.

"Is there a reason you have him dressed like a moto-head?" the customer asked. Hunter nodded.

"I know he's a hamster… but no shirt, no shoes, no service. Rules apply to everyone."

"I'm a guinea pig, dude," Dustin muttered. "What do these guys not understand?"

The customer walked off with his purchase once Hunter gave him the change, and Dustin immediately tapped on the glass. Hunter opened the top and subtly lifted Dustin out of the cage and set him down behind the cash so none of the other customers would notice. Dustin glared up at him.

"Dude, not cool," he said. "You just sold that customer the wrong pair of gloves! You should have sold him the pair he had in his hands."

"But the ones I sold were more expensive," Hunter frowned. Dustin sighed.

"Yes, but when he falls and tears them up because he's done a newbie mistake, he's not going to think they're durable, like you said, and he's not going to trust us anymore. The cheaper ones are cheap because they break easy and people can afford to replace them!"

"Well…" Hunter frowned, "I didn't know that."

"If you're going to take over my job for me, then you better learn."

Hunter shook his head, "Whatever, dude. I'm on a break. Is everyone else still upstairs?"

"I guess," Dustin nodded. "I wouldn't know. It takes me forever to climb up one step."

"The mad flipping skills don't come with the body?" Hunter chuckled, running off, "Watch the store for a minute, bro. I'll just get Kel to cover for me."

"What am I going to do?" Dustin asked, but received no response from Hunter. He let out an exasperated sigh as he sat down on the counter.

He heard the door ding and turned to see who was walking in. His heart stopped when he recognised Drew.

The bastard wasn't about to give up. Dustin grumbled and stood up to warn Kelly of her ex's presence, but Drew walked straight over to the counter. Dustin couldn't speak, unless he wanted Drew to get suspicious.

The moment Kelly stepped into the store her eyes fell on Drew and she froze up. Dustin hopped off the counter and rushed to the back. It was going to take him forever to climb the stairs and reach the others, but he was going to make it before anything bad happened.

Kelly didn't notice Dustin go for help and assumed she was all alone. If she called for someone, Drew would have enough time to take off and he would surely come back again when Kelly was alone. As much as she didn't want to deal with him now, she would rather he talk to her when he friends and sister were upstairs, than when she was truly alone later.

She walked to the counter, trying to act professional, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah. I want answers," Drew growled, slamming his hand on the counter. The other customers looked over but didn't think anything of it. They assumed Drew was just a pissed off customer who was trying to give the owner shit.

Kelly pulled Drew aside. She felt more comfortable with the counter between them, but she didn't need him scaring off all her customers. After all, if he was going to do something, she needed the money to offer a good as hell lawyer.

"Drew, right now? Here?"

"You accused me of something I didn't do," Drew shouted. "You're making me look like the bad guy!"

"Drew, if you don't quiet down you're going to make yourself look like a total asshole. I'm listening, I swear."

Kelly was surprised she was keeping her cool. She had frozen up when she initially saw him, but she wasn't panicked anymore. She felt better after telling Drew the truth about the prom night; like she had overcome some big fear and had come out stronger. She didn't fear him anymore, because she knew that as long as she had her friends, and they believed her, she wouldn't get hurt.

"You just can't live with yourself, can you, you fucking whore!" Drew hissed.

… Physically. That hurt emotionally.

Kelly crossed her arms over her chest, "Excuse me?"

"Excuse me," a small man asked, leaning over the counter with a helmet in his hands, "Can I know the price for this…"

Drew ripped the helmet from the slim man's hands and slammed it in his head. He did up the buckle and shoved the man away.

"It's free if you get lost."

"Drew!" Kelly shouted, smacking him on the arm like she normally would Dustin when he made a mistake. She didn't mean anything by it. It was reflex. Drew didn't seem to think so. When Kelly tried to rush over to apologize to the man, Drew grabbed her arm.

"You're not running away from me that easily," he said, pulling her back and throwing her against the wall. "I want answers, bitch. What makes you think you're so much better than me, that you can accuse me of rape, when you're the one who knew what she was doing? You said it yourself, you weren't totally drunk, and you can remember what happened. I don't! For all I know you spiked my drink and got me in bed!"

"What?" Kelly scoffed, rubbing her arm and trying to pry Drew's hand away. "Why the hell would I do that? Why would I rape you, then bring it up when you clearly didn't remember? So I could go to jail?"

Drew glared at Kelly. She had a point. He could have gone his entire life thinking he never got to nail the beautiful Kelly Holloway and she could have been able to get away with rape. He was stumped as to why she would bring it up, but he refused to admit that he was the bad guy and that he had made a mistake. He was Andrew Colt: High School Superstar and all around nice guy. He was not a jerk.

He frowned slightly, "You want to ruin my reputation," he said, before thinking, but now that the words left his mouth, he knew what he wanted to say. Kelly had been a superstar athlete like him. She probably tried to live up to his legacy and failed. So, in order to surpass him, she would need to destroy him. What better way than to make him look like dirty scum. "You want to raise your popularity by destroying mine!"

Kelly scoffed, "As if. We're not in high school anymore. Who cares about popularity?"

Drew Pulled Kelly away from the wall and shoved her into the counter, turning her around. He held her tightly in place and called out to everyone in the store: "Have you guys met Blue Bay Harbour's biggest whore? She'll sleep with you and then make you think you took advantage of her so she can get something from you."

The customers in the store looked around in shock, unsure of what to do. Drew didn't really care about their reaction. Kelly humiliated him; he was going to humiliate her. He spun her back around and moved in closer.

"You want something from me… I'll give it to…"

Drew was suddenly ripped away from Kelly and forced into the wall by Hunter, who was obviously not very happy.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the store," Hunter said. Drew scoffed.

"You can't kick me out. I'm a customer."

"No. A customer is someone who will buy something from the store. Unless you purchase something, you're not a customer and I reserve the right to kick your ass out of here for inappropriate behaviour, scaring the other customers and threatening an employee/owner of the store."

Drew shoved Hunter away from him and grumbled as he smoothed out his shirt. He glared at the blonde. Though Hunter was shorter than him, it wasn't by much, and Drew could tell the crimson-clad man was rather strong just by the way he managed to rip him off Kelly and keep him pinned to a wall.

Deciding this wasn't the time or place to set Kelly straight, he headed for the door. He was just about to leave until Dustin scurried over and used his small, but strong guinea pig body to trip Drew. The big man stumbled, but caught himself on the door before he fell. He looked down to see what got him and saw a guinea pig.

"What the… get lost you flea bag," Drew said, pulling his leg back to kick Dustin away. Dustin jumped up on his shoe before he swung and made his way up Drew's pants, all the way to the back of his knee. Drew started shaking his leg. He wanted to get the rodent out of his pants. Before Dustin slid out, he dug his sharp teeth into the back of Drew's knee. The man howled in pain and swatted at his leg, trying to get Dustin to let go.

All the noise attracted the others from upstairs as they came rushing down. Leanne spotted Drew and her blood began to boil. She turned to Kelly, who seemed to be taking comfort in Hunter's arms. She didn't need to know what had happened, she just knew it was bad.

She walked over to Drew just as Dustin crawled out from his pants. She picked up the guinea pig and stared at Drew, who by now was on the floor in pain because of his knee.

"What did I tell you," she said, shaking her head. "Get lost; go to another town before I decide I'm not going to play nice with you anymore."

"Wow," Tori said, watching the exchange between Leanne and Drew as the Thunder Ninja practically lifted Drew up and tossed him out of the store. "Remind me not to get on her bad side."

Leanne walked back over to the others, "Tor, mind covering for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, of course," Tori nodded. Blake immediately stepped forward.

"I'll help her."

Leanne smiled and looked at her sister, "Are you okay? What did he do?"

"I would rather not say," Kelly looked out at the store, and the dozen customers who had heard Drew voice his thoughts about her to the world. "I just want to forget about this."

"Are you sure, dude?" Dustin asked her from Leanne's shoulder. Kelly nodded.

"The one thing Drew values most is his ego. Considering he just got his ass handed to him by a 'little man', a girl and a guinea pig, I think it's safe to say his ego has been shattered."

"Well, he's not going to fix it," Hunter assured Kelly. He had been the only one to hear what Drew was about to tell Kelly before he ripped the crazed man away.

"He's relentless," Kelly frowned. "Right now he's worse than Lothor! That crazy love potion, the necklace, and all those injuries feel like nothing compared to what's happening with Drew right now!"

Shane tried hissing Kelly, before the Ranger secret got out. He knew she was panicked and wasn't thinking straight, but the last thing the Rangers needed to deal with was public identities when they already had alien ninjas and Drew on their plate.

"Tone it down a little, Kel," Shane whispered. "We don't need the world knowing we're the…"

_BEEP!_

Shane's head dropped as he brought his morpher to his mouth. The others (who weren't guinea pigs), immediately circled him, keeping the civilians from seeing him.

"Go for Shane."

"_There's a giant foot running loose in the plaza," _Cam said. _"You guys need to get there fast. Dad's going to join you."_

"I guess I'm sitting back," Dustin smirked, sitting on Leanne's shoulder and using her neck as a back rest. "This fur might be nice now after all."

Leanne pulled Shane's wrist closer to her mouth, "Sorry Cam, I've got to pass up helping you this time. Drew just stopped by."

"_Sounds fair."_

"I'm staying back too," Hunter added. "Drew may be afraid of you, Anna, but I would feel better if one of us guys hung back."

Kelly nodded, looking up at Hunter, who had yet to let go of her. His arms were still wrapped around her protectively. She nestled in, wanting to feel safer, "I would feel better too."

"Think you'll be okay with Hunter dropping out, Sensei?" Tori asked.

"_I will be alright, Tori. But Hunter, Ranger duty comes before personal matter. Leanne is quite capable of taking care of Kelly. We'll call if we need you."_

"I'll come running, Sensei," Hunter nodded. "Just… don't need me."

"We'll try our best, dude," Shane said, tapping his friend on the shoulder before running off.


	40. Hunter Makes a Move

"I don't think you've realised it yet, Kel, but you've bitten off all your nails, already. Now you're just biting finger," Hunter chuckled as he glanced over at Kelly. She was leaning on the front counter, beside the register, biting her nails endlessly as she watched the front door. Drew had stopped by the store once already, and he hadn't left in a good mood. She was sure he was going to come back to reclaim his pride, and it terrified her to think about what that could mean.

Hunter, Dustin and Leanne made sure she was never alone, and right now it was Hunter's shift. Leanne was eating her dinner and Dustin had passed out in his tissue box.

The Rangers had been gone for a while and it was getting close to closing time which meant that the store was a lot emptier than normal. If Drew was waiting for the perfect opportunity to come back, now would be the time. Obviously Kelly would be tense, but Hunter had thought that she would be a little calmer with a bodyguard looking after her.

When Kelly heard Hunter's voice she pulled her hand away from her mouth and looked to him, eyes wide.

"What?" she asked. Hunter chuckled, coming to her side. He pulled her away from the register and brought her out, pushing away a few rolling baskets and shelves to create an open space. He stood before her.

"How tall are you?" Hunter asked her while scanning her body to get an approximate size. Kelly shrugged.

"5"6'," she said. "Why?"

"How tall to you think Drew is?"

"I don't know… like 6" something," Kelly said, shaking her head. She knew Drew was much taller than she was, but it never crossed her mind to ask a question like that. Up until this very moment, it didn't seem all that important. Even now, Kelly wasn't sure what Drew's height had to do with anything.

"Alright, I'm going to teach you how to take him out," Hunter smirked. Kelly looked at him and started to laugh.

"You think I can take down that ogre?" she asked, pointing to the door where he had left hours ago. "Seriously? That's funny, Hunter."

"I'm serious, Kel," Hunter told her with a dead-panned look. "You're scared as hell when you think about him because you think he's going to hurt you."

"Your point? He could hurt anyone of us."

Hunter nodded, "Exactly, but we're not afraid of him. If Drew challenges us to a fight, we call all take him. Tiny Tori can kick his ass in a matter of seconds. Fighting isn't about size and strength, but confidence."

Kelly shook her head, "I don't know what they taught you at that crazy academy, but size does matter. Weren't you the one who told me that the mouse in the storage room couldn't hurt me because I was a million times bigger than it… thanks for that, by the way."

"I didn't mean… you're perfect Kel," Hunter smiled. Kelly looked at him, expecting him to blush or look away when his words registered in his head, but that smile never left his face. He continued to look at her with confidence. That only caused her to blush and turn away. Hunter placed his hand on her arm, "Alright, you're too smart, size does matter, but it's not everything, especially with a big dummy like Drew."

"So what are you suggesting I do?" Kelly asked. Hunter examined her quickly. She had been an athlete her entire life. She was strong, fast and agile.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Hunter threw a punch her way. He purposely aimed his shot a little to the right so he wouldn't accidentally hurt Kelly, but found he didn't need to. Though he hadn't given himself away at all, Kelly seemed to have anticipated the attack. She pulled away, out of arm reach, and jumped to the right, avoiding a blow to the head.

"What the hell?" Kelly screamed, keeping her distance. She didn't want Hunter hitting her again. She trusted him, but that trust could easily be thrown out the window if he tried something like that.

Hunter smiled, "You are a fighter. I guess you've got a little Thunder Ninja inside of you after all."

Kelly frowned, "What do you mean? Of course I'm going to dodge a punch to the face. I'm not retarded."

Hunter smirked and nodded again before delivering another blow. Kelly dodged it again, but failed to miss the second shot that Hunter threw. Though he tried to aim a little more to the left to miss Kelly, his fist connected with the side of her face, knocking her back slightly. Kelly stumbled back, holding her cheek with one hand as she glared at Hunter. Suddenly, she doubled over and tackled him, sending him straight to the ground and landing on top of him. She sat up, so she was sitting on his stomach, and punched him in the chest.

Hunter grabbed her wrists to stop the blows, coughing slightly, "Good, but next time, aim right here."

Still holding her arms, he took her right fist and placed it on his solar plexus.

"This'll really knock the wind out of him and it'll give you plenty of time to run."

Kelly glared at Hunter, smacking him in the chest again before she got off. She cupped her cheek again with her hand, pressing slightly to feel for a bruise.

"What the hell, Hunter!" she shouted while he got to his feet, rubbing his chest. He had to admit, her punches hurt.

"I didn't mean to actually hit you," Hunter told her. "I just wanted to see what you would do if someone challenged you."

"Right, so punch me in the face, that'll really show me how to beat a guy."

"You took me down!" Hunter grinned. "I wasn't really trying to stop you, but I didn't let that happen. I didn't fall on purpose!"

"So?" Kelly frowned. "Big whoop, I knocked you off balance. How's that going to help me with Drew?"

Hunter took a step forward and noticed Kelly tensing up, ready to defend herself from him. He smirked slightly, reaching out for her. Kelly thought she was going to hit him again so she tried throwing his punch off its course. Hunter quickly went in with his other hand. With her body shifted one way, he could easily push her the other way and knock her off balance. When he did, and while Kelly struggled to find her balance again, Hunter threw another punch. He pulled it slightly, however, so he wouldn't give her another bruise on the cheek. Kelly tried to block the blow, but was too focused on finding her footing to really get a good block or punch in.

"Stop it!" Kelly shouted. Hunter shoved her again before she could find her balance. Kelly growled, trying to find her footing, but it was difficult. Just as she was about to find it, Hunter would shove her again and throw her off balance. Kelly finally decided enough was enough. To the best of her abilities, she pulled away from Hunter, out of his reach, so she could find her footing. Luckily for her, she was able to find it before Hunter moved in closer. He tried to throw another punch.

Kelly was seriously starting to get annoyed. She wanted him to stop punching her, and had even told him over and over again that she didn't like this, but he wasn't listening. He kept going at her. Her cheek was already bruising, and it felt like it was very swollen. She didn't need any more injuries. As the blow came to her face she lifted her arm up, blocking the shot with the one hand while the other delivered a surprise blow right in Hunter's solar plexus. As he pulled back, Kelly stepped forward and hit him again, this time knocking him over and sending him to the ground.

Hunter was down, but he wasn't about to stop. Though it was hard to continue to fight while trying to catch his breath he swept his legs out, trying to bring Kelly down with him. She turned away from him before he had the chance and ran. Hunter chose not to follow her. After all, he wasn't actually trying to hurt her. He laid there, on the ground, holding his hand to his chest as he fought for breath.

After a moment, he could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and into the store. He looked over, catching his breath, and noticed Leanne coming in with Kelly. While the older sister didn't seemed very please, Leanne looked very amused.

"Wow, Hunter, after over ten years of ninja training, Kelly kicked your ass."

Leanne offered her hand to help Hunter up. He accepted it and smirked cockily.

"Hey, she's older."

"Only by a few months," Leanne chuckled. "And what does that matter?"

Hunter turned to Kelly, "Alright, fine. You took me out fair and square. Who knew you could do everything?"

"I can't do everything," Kelly said. Hunter shrugged.

"Well, if you put your mind to it, I'm pretty sure you could. You didn't think you could take me out like that… and rather quickly too."

Kelly frowned, "I didn't take you out. You're still standing! You could…"

"You ran away before I could really get at you," Hunter interrupted.

Kelly walked behind the counter and slumped down in her seat, "Yeah, like a coward."

She looked up at Hunter, "I know what you were trying to do," she told him. "You wanted to show me that I could protect myself against Drew. But I can't. You weren't trying 100% and you even got a shot in!"

Kelly pointed to her cheek, brushing her hair away from it. It was really starting to bruise now, turning a sickening shade of purple. Leanne hissed and Hunter turned away nervously, feeling slightly ashamed. He never wanted to hurt her.

Leanne rushed to the mini-fridge in the back and pulled out an ice-pack. She had seen this kind of bruise back at the Thunder Academy, and even in Nepal. To reduce the size and the pain, Kelly needed to apply ice, and fast.

When Leanne handed her sister the ice-pack, Kelly pressed it to her face and sighed, "Face it, Hunter. I can't do this."

"I don't get it," Hunter said. "I mean, yeah, I didn't want to hurt you, but those shots were real, especially at the end. You blocked them and you got a few good blows in. I might wake up tomorrow with some bruises the size of your fist all over my chest. If I was Drew and you were really fighting for your life, I'm pretty sure you would have come up with the same results."

"Yeah, a punch to the face?" Kelly scoffed.

"It didn't knock you down," Hunter smiled. "That's one thing. When I hit you I thought you could crash on your ass. You stayed on your feet."

"Yeah, skateboarding and some surfing will really help with balance," Kelly nodded. "Haven't you ever wondered why Tori and Shane are so good on their feet?"

"Good point," Hunter said. "But I also thought you were just going to give up. I mean, that hit was pretty hard. It must have hurt like a bitch."

"So you think I'm just going to stand there and cry?" Kelly frowned. "No one hurts me and gets away with it."

"You also managed to dodge those shots like a pro. I don't know about you, but I was getting pretty tired."

"Avoiding shots is a good strategy if you're at a disadvantage," Leanne nodded her head. "It tires the other guy out while you still have a lot of energy left. And once you're tired, there's no time for recovery in a fight. Father always told me the key to beating a bigger opponent was to wear him out before you begin your fight. The more exhausted you are, the slower your reaction time, the weaker the blows and the less you'll think about technique. You'll just throw sloppy punches and try anything, even stupid moves, to get your opponent down. Believe me, that doesn't work."

Kelly looked at Hunter and Leanne, "You guys are trying to tell me something, I just don't know what it is…"

"Next time you and Drew meet, remember these three rules," Hunter told her. "First: if you can, run away. Don't talk to him, don't approach him, don't even try to ignore him. Just turn around and run. Find Leanne or find me. We'll take him out for you."

"I like that plan," Kelly smirked, turning to Leanne for her approval. Leanne chuckled and nodded.

"Second," Hunter continued, "if you can't run away then face up to him, but avoid getting into a fight. Keep as much distance as you can so he can't try anything, and try to keep the situation calm. You'll be more in control if you choose to fight with words, rather than fists."

"Just don't let his words hurt you," Leanne added. Given Kelly's history with Drew, she knew that if Kelly did fight verbally with Drew, she could get hurt much worse than if he trying hurting her physically. Kelly still wasn't over the night at prom and Drew seemed to know exactly what to say to bring her down and take her back to a dark place. "Ignore what he says. He'll tell you anything to try and get you to lose control. He knows he'll do better in a physical fight, and he wants you to feel like you're weaker."

"Finally," Hunter finished, "if you do get into a real fight, find your strong points and use them to your advantage. You're lucky you're so quick on your feet. Drew might not be able to lay a hand on you if you focus and watch him carefully. You'll be much quicker than he is, and that could be the difference between life and death."

"Death?" Kelly squeaked. Hunter coughed.

"Uh, sorry… not death, but… you know what I mean," he said.

"And scream," Leanne decided to add. "Attract attention. Drew ran away earlier when Storm Chargers was busy. If he does want to hurt you, physically or emotionally, he's not going to want to do it with people around. They'll either be witnesses, or they'll come to your rescue."

Kelly nodded, "Thanks guys."

She pulled the ice pack away from her face and set it down on the counter. Her cheek felt like an ice cube, and she didn't want to risk getting frost bite on top of an ugly bruise. Leanne grabbed the ice pack in her hand.

"Now, I'm going upstairs and getting back to my dinner," she said. "No more punching each other down here."

"It was self defence," Kelly frowned. "He started it."

"I won't hit her," Hunter smiled, throwing his hands up, "I swear."

Leanne watched him carefully for a moment before retreating. Kelly sat down on her stool and looked around for something to do while Hunter walked to the door. It was well past closing time now, and the sign needed to be turned. He left the door unlocked so the other Rangers could come in when they got back from the fight. He was hoping everything went well. He hadn't been called into battle, so he figured Sensei was just taking his time debriefing the team.

He was relieved when he saw Tori's van pull up in the parking lot and the blonde hopped out of her car. He held the door open for his friends, letting them inside.

"Great," he smiled. "How did it go?"

"It was just some giant foot monster," Tori shrugged. "Once we were comfortable fighting in zero gravity, we managed to kick his ass. Sensei was a big help though. I think I like him in yellow better than Dustin."

Tori looked around, making sure the guinea pig wasn't in ear-shot when she said this. It was just jokingly, but she didn't feel like explaining herself. Hunter smiled.

"He's upstairs, hibernating."

"I'll do the same," Tori nodded. She turned to Kelly, "You headed up as well?"

Kelly checked the clock. She hadn't realised it was closing. She nodded and got out of her seat, wanting to hide the bruise on her cheek from Tori for a little longer. She didn't feel like explaining her little fight with Hunter.

"I'll meet you upstairs," she told the blond. Tori shrugged and headed up. Kelly looked to Hunter.

"I guess you'll be taking off, then," she said. Hunter nodded.

"Yeah. You've got your two body guards with you, you don't need me. Especially considering Tori's punches are enough to cause severe internal bleeding to any opponent."

"She is a fighter," Kelly chuckled. She took the door from Hunter, holding it open for him so that she could lock behind him when he left. As he stepped outside she smiled nervously. "Thanks for the… you know… bruise."

Hunter winced slightly. He still felt terrible about that. He hadn't meant for any of his shots to hit her. He felt terrible about that mistake, especially considering the huge purple mark it left on her face.

"I'm really sorry about that," Hunter told her. "I didn't…"

"I meant the lesson," Kelly smiled. "It was an odd approach, but I do feel a bit safer. I really don't like hiding behind my little sister all the time."

"Well, don't be afraid to run and hide," Hunter said. "You don't need to get in over your head. The last thing any of us want if you in a coma… or… you know… back in high school on prom night."

Kelly frowned, "Yeah… I get it."

Hunter pointed over his shoulder, "Anyways… I'll, uh, get going. Hopefully that bruise doesn't swell too much. Tori and Dustin are going to kill me when they find out."

"They don't have too," Kelly smirked. "Maybe I'm just a klutz and hurt myself on my way up."

"Yeah, like anyone will believe you're a klutz," Hunter chuckled.

"Hey, everyone's got their flaws," Kelly smiled. Hunter grinned.

"Shane's overprotective, Dustin's airheaded, Blake and Tori don't have the guts to admit they're in love, Leanne's my annoying little sister and I'm dark and brooding," Hunter said. He looked at Kelly, a cocky smile on his face. He examined her again, "Nope. I don't see your flaw."

Kelly blushed, smacking Hunter gently on the arm, "Seriously, Bradley. You can't find anything wrong? I'm stubborn…"

"You stand your ground," Hunter corrected. "Not a flaw."

"I'm bossy…"

"You _are_ the boss," Hunter told her. "And anyways, you do it in a friendly way. That's not a flaw, that's a quality."

"I have a temper…"

"You're feisty, and again, you don't let people push you around. Not a flaw. Face it Kel, it's like I said before; God created one perfect human being, and you're her."

Kelly didn't think she could be anymore red than she was in this moment. Hunter grinned. He had waited a long time to tell Kelly how he truly felt. He knew that she was aware he had feelings for her, especially after he asked her out on the date. But once Drew came into the picture, and Hunter found out that Kelly was vulnerable, he decided not to make any moves. He didn't want to win her over when she could easily be manipulated. Instead, he opted to protect her.

However, now that she was feeling much safer, and her confidence was coming back, Hunter didn't see the harm in slowly trying to win her heart, especially if he was going to try and boost her confidence and make her feel safe at the same time.

Before he left he leaned over, kissing her on the cheek, very softly, so he wouldn't hurt her bruise.

"Goodnight, Kel," he whispered. "Call me if you need to. I'll come running."

Kelly closed the door behind him and smiled.

"Where did that come from?" she breathed. Who knew he was a romantic?


	41. Camping Trip

Things were finally starting to get back to normal for Kelly and the Rangers. Kelly was sitting on her orange couches, watching the news with a few of her customers while the Rangers were out fighting another one of Lothor's aliens. The only difference between this fight, and the once from before, was that Sensei was standing in for Dustin, while the Yellow Ranger was back at Ninja ops watching the fight with Cam and Leanne.

Every Ninja had been asked to take part in this battle, whether it was behind the scenes or actually in the fight, because the Rangers were fighting Lothor's General Zurgane. He had somehow gotten his hands on his own Megazord and wanted to challenge the Rangers. Of course, they weren't about to let him stomp all over them.

Kelly didn't feel completely safe without one of her friends around her, but she understood why they all needed to leave. The fate of the world was in all their hands, and as much as they all wanted to drop everything to protect her, they had responsibilities. Although, after Kelly's training session the night before, Kelly felt like she could protect herself if Drew were to show up while the Rangers and Leanne were away.

A huge smile appeared on Kelly's face as she thought about the night before. Hunter had really taken initiative to make sure she felt safe. Though Kelly wished he would have told her about his training idea before he punched her in the face, she couldn't argue with the results.

Hunter had complimented her in the biggest way, telling her he believes she was perfect. Kelly knew she had her flaws, but when she tried to list them to Hunter he waved them off and turned them into qualities. The things about her that annoyed most people didn't annoy Hunter. He saw the good in them. And even if they did annoy them, he hadn't let it show.

To top it all off, right after offering Kelly the biggest compliment she'd ever heard, Hunter also gave her a quick peck on the cheek and promised he would come running if ever she needed him. Kelly's heart began to soar and the butterflies in her stomach were acting up a lot more than they had when Drew invited her to prom, back when she had been in love with him.

Kelly didn't know why she was feeling it, but there was something about this love that felt genuine. Of course, before she let anything happen between herself and Hunter, she wanted to make sure his feelings for her were real, and he wasn't just trying to get her in bed, but Kelly really doubted he would do that. If she ignored their initial friendship, or lack thereof, then Hunter had always been a gentleman. He had be kind, patient, understanding, even when Kelly tried putting up walls and pushing him away. He never once gave up on her.

"Oh!" the customers in Storm Chargers winced as the Ranger's Megazord took a nasty hit and toppled over. Kelly's attention went back to the screen as she prayed her friends and Hunter would be okay. She finally started breathing again when the Megazord pushed itself back up and swung a powerful punch right in Zurgane's face, knocking him down. They called forth a giant sphere, which Kelly learned was called a Power Sphere. With a few good hits, Zurgane's Megazord was no longer functional and he was forced to eject before the Megazord exploded.

Kelly winced, _Thank god they were in the rock quarry for that fight, _she thought to herself, _if not we would all be dead._

One of the boys, who had been watching this fight like it was an action sport game, pumped his fists in the air, "Step on the little freak!" he encouraged the Rangers. To his disappointment, Zurgane fled and the Rangers disappeared. Kelly knew that the Rangers had ninja streaked back to ops, and that the Zords were being transferred there by some magical Power Ranger energy, so she didn't worry. She waited a few minutes for the news lady to bring the story to a close before shutting off the TV. She turned to her customers.

"The streets are probably cleared now," she told them. "It's safe to head home."

The customers who had simply come into Storm Chargers for protection made their way out, while those who had actually come in to shop when the attack started began to look around again. Kelly went back to work, keeping her eye on the store and ringing up customers. For a few minutes, everything was running smoothly. Suddenly the bell rang loudly as someone forced their way into the store. Kelly nearly jumped out of her own skin, afraid it might be Drew looking for revenge.

"Whoa, chill, Kel," Hunter and the others laughed as they approached the front counter. "It's just us."

"Guys? Seriously?" Kelly asked, "Did you have to rush in here?"

Blake set guinea pig Dustin down on the counter as he and the other boys rushed to the back. Kelly could hear them packing something up. She turned to Tori and Leanne.

"What's going on?"

Tori leaned in so no one would overhear, "Sensei's decided to give us a day off," she said.

"But you're Power Rangers?" Kelly frowned. "Do you get to pick and choose when the alien attacks stop?"

Leanne shook her head, "No, we're taking a risk with this one… well, the boys are."

"Yeah," Dustin nodded. "The girls and Cam are all hanging back."

"Hanging back?" Kelly asked before the boys rushed out, carrying all the camping gear they could find. Kelly shook her head, "Oh, no. No way are you guys taking all my stuff!"

Shane dumped his handful of equipment into Kelly's arms, "Alright then, you take it," he told her before pushing her towards the door, "Because you are coming with us, Miss Kelly."

Kelly dropped the tools and gear and turned around, "I'm what?"

"Go," Leanne laughed, "Have fun. Tori and I will watch the store while you're away."

Tori nodded, "Yeah, and if Drew stops by we'll tell him where to shove it."

Blake turned to his secret girlfriend. The two blue Rangers had yet to tell anyone they were dating. Though it would be hard to resist sleeping next to her in the tent and to share a sleeping bag, he did want her to tag along.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along, Tori?" he asked her. "It's camping! It's fun."

"You've never been camping with Shane and Dustin before, have you?" Tori chuckled, declining his offer. "Sorry, but I'll pass on this one. I like to have four walls surrounding me when I watch TV."

Nature, here we come!" Dustin grinned, jumping from the counter all the way over to the sleeping bags tucked under Blake's arm. Blake looked at Tori pleading for a moment, hoping she would change her mind. She shook her head no and mouthed sorry. Blake sighed. He got a better grip on the sleeping bags and let Dustin climb up onto his shoulder before following the others out.

The boys loaded up the big tent inside the back of Tori's van, which they were going to borrow for the vacation so Tori and Leanne could still run errands with the Storm Chargers van, and packed all the camping necessities such as sleeping bags, a flashlight and a few canned goods.

Suddenly, Shane walked back out of the store carrying a TV. Hunter, Dustin and Blake all cheered, while Kelly shook her head.

"No, no way. If we're camping, we're doing it right," she said. "None of this technology crap."

"C'mon, Kel," Shane frowned. He tried loading the TV in the van, but Kelly stood in his way, "Dude, what are we going to do all day out in the woods?"

"Camp," Kelly said. She watched as Shane stepped past her and forced the TV into the back of the van. She rolled her eyes and when Shane turned around she pulled the TV out of the van and smashed it on the ground. It was her TV anyways, and it would never be used. She didn't care for it.

"DUDE!" Dustin sounded, hopping off Blake's shoulder and down beside the TV. "That was our only source of entertainment."

Tori leaned against the doorframe and watched the boys mourn the loss of their TV. She rolled her eyes.

"I bet you guys wouldn't last a day in the forest, camping like true men," she chuckled. "And that means no TV, no fans, and for the love of god no ordering pizza! Remember how pissed off the deliver guy was last time we went camping?"

"Yeah, I probably should have tipped him a little more," Dustin nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. Tori rolled her eyes again. She had gone on camping trips with the boys growing up, and every time it was the same thing. While she would prepare for a weekend with nature, the boys would bring every luxury item they could find. She was honestly surprise Sensei believed they were Air and Earth ninjas when clearly they belonged to the Technology Academy to study the ways of the TV and A/C ninjas.

Shane looked at Tori, "Dude, we could so survive out in the wild, probably better than you can. First bug you see you'll go running."

"Okay, so it doesn't bother you that there's a spider crawling up your neck," Tori smirked. Shane freaked out almost instantly, not realising Tori was pulling his leg. As he tried to swat away the imaginary spider, Blake looked at Tori.

"Are you challenging us?" he asked her. Tori nodded.

"I bet you won't last the three days without using some piece of technology. TV, A/C, GPS, can openers, or the van."

"How will we get the campsite?" Hunter frowned as he steadied Shane, convincing him there was no actual spider.

"Aside from driving up there, you goof," Tori said. "I challenge you four boys and Kelly to three days of old fashion camping. Nothing but a tent, sleeping bags and the clothes you're wearing now."

"Please allow soap," Kelly begged. "If I'm sharing a tent with them, they'll need soap."

"Shh," Blake hushed her, "Tori's challenging our manhood."

Shane and Tori shook hands, "Deal."

"What do we get if we win?" Dustin asked, looking up.

"Hopefully you'll get your body back," Tori chuckled, patting him on the head. "Well, hopefully for you. I'm getting used to this guinea pig best friend situation."

Dustin pulled away from Tori's hand and jumped up into the back of the van, "I want my body back!"

"Just you wait and see, Tor," Hunter said, closing the doors to the van as he looked at Tori, "We'll make it the three days. Hell, make it a week."

"No, I'm begging you," Kelly's eyes were wide, "Three days without showering is long enough."

"Three days," Tori insisted. "Real camping."

"You're so on," Shane smirked. He, Hunter and Kelly got into the front seat of Tori's van. Dustin was already in; he just needed to make his way up front.

Before Blake joined his friends he rushed over to Tori and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll miss you," he whispered and took off. Tori waved goodbye to her friends as she watched them leave in her van. When they were gone, she turned back to the store. She approached Leanne at the front counter and smirked.

"Now we just wait for Drew to come by for Kelly, and I'll kick his ass for her."

Leanne chuckled, "Easy, girl. We're not camping, but you still deserve a vacation. Unless Lothor's aliens show up, I don't want to see you working hard."

"What about the store?" Tori asked. "Someone's gotta watch it when you disappear to make out with Cam."

"Make out with… where do you get this stuff?" Leanne frowned, hiding her blush. "I help him with the computers. You'll be surprised at how much work goes into keeping Ninja Ops up and running."

"So, everyday he needs your help?" Tori winked. Leanne shoved her towards the backdoor.

"Go vacation you brat," she said.

-Storm-Chargers-

Shane pulled up to the edge of the forest and parked the car in the designated parking spot. The campsite the four ninjas and Kelly would be staying at was a little walk away. The five hopped out of the van and grabbed everything they could. It wasn't much, however, considering Tori's challenge.

Dustin dragged his bag of guinea pig food with him while Blake and Hunter carried the box for the tent. Shane held onto three sleeping bags and Kelly got off easy, having nothing to carry except the emergency flashlight.

When they got to their campsite, the boys dropped everything. Kelly looked up to the sky. She didn't remember the weatherman calling for showers, but, of course, because they were camping, the first night had to be miserable.

"We better set up the tent," she told the boys. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to set it up in the dark, in the rain."

Shane looked up and noticed the dark clouds forming, "I think she's right. Don't worry, Kel, we'll have this set up in no time."

Kelly shrugged, "Great," she looked down at Dustin, "While they do that, want to help me find some food? Starving, smelly boys isn't my idea of a vacation."

Dustin let go of his bag of seeds and started off deeper into the forest, leading the way, "Let's go!"

Kelly couldn't help but chuckle, "Right behind you, little guy."

Dustin's head dropped forward, "Stupid girls…"

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly held Dustin in her hands, keeping him warm as the two of them sat outside, on a rock, in the rain. Setting up a tent proved to be difficult for the three manly ninjas, especially when they refused to use the emergency flashlight in the dark. Kelly would have helped, but she didn't understand the instructions on the paper, and she had never set up a tent from scratch before.

"I don't want to ruse you guys," Dustin called, "But can you work a little faster! I'm freezing over here."

"And he's got fur!" Kelly added.

Hunter looked over at the red head. The tent was almost set up; they just needed to make sure the tent wasn't going to fly away.

"We're almost done," he told her. "Do you have the food?"

Kelly nodded and pointed to a pile of leaves. She had used them to bury the fruits she and Dustin had found while searching the forest. She wasn't too sure, but Dustin was convinced none of them were poisonous. She had to trust him on this, considering he had been a boy scout when he was a kid.

Shane walked to the front of the tent and zipped it open. He held up the flap, "Everyone in!" he called out.

Kelly rushed up and bolted into the tent. She wanted to get out of the rain quickly so she would dry. She was happy the boys were smart and put the sleeping bags inside before the rain really began to fall.

Hunter and Blake came in after her and Shane was last. When he was in he zipped up the tent and turned around.

"Ta-da," he smiled. "For the next three days, this is home."

Dustin hopped out of Kelly's hand and shook the water out of his fur. At this moment, Kelly wished she could do the same. Her clothes and hair were soaking wet, and she couldn't dry off or get changed.

Shane, Blake and Hunter had an easy solution. They pulled off their shirts and tossed them aside. Kelly figured she could have done that too, but it was bad enough she was the only girl on this trip, she didn't need to be half naked too.

Dustin was walking around the tent, trying to figure out where he would sleep. He didn't want to take a sleeping bag because he was afraid he would get lost inside. In the corner, he spotted Hunter's baseball cap. It was slightly wet, but it would have to do. He lifted it up and crawled inside.

"My own little tent," the others heard him say. "And it's warm in here."

"Whatever works for you, dude," Blake chuckled, reaching out and grabbing a sleeping bag for himself. Hunter and Shane did the same. Kelly looked around for the forth but didn't see any. She groaned.

"Oh, this will be awkward."

The boys looked at her, "What?"

"We only packed three bags," she said, pointing to all three sleeping bags.

"Dude, one is double sized!" Dustin called out from underneath the hat. "It sleeps two people."

"Question is: who's going to share?"

All eyes turned to Kelly. She had seen this coming. Guys weren't about to share a bed, never mind a sleeping bag.

She let out a sigh, "Alright, who am I sleeping with?"

Hunter looked around, hoping neither guy would make a move. He liked Kelly, and sharing a sleeping bag with her would mean a lot to him. And after the event from the night before, he didn't want Kelly sleeping with anyone but him. It would mess up his strategy if she started sleeping with other people.

Shane gazed at each boy, wondering if any of them were going to speak up. He had known Kelly the longest (aside from Dustin, but the man was a guinea pig at the moment). Shane wouldn't mind sharing a bag with her. Better him than Hunter or Blake anyways. He wouldn't try to make a move on her.

Blake bit his lip nervously, hoping he didn't have to take one for the team. He had only started going out with Tori, and he didn't want to mess up his relationship by sleeping with another woman, even if it was only out of convenience, and there would be nothing going on but sleeping.

Kelly frowned, "Well, don't all volunteer at once. How am I going to choose?"

Hunter pulled on his sleeping bag. His was larger than the other two, so he assumed it was the double bag. The perfect excuse to share with Kelly.

"I've already got the bigger bag," he shrugged. "I guess that settles it."

"Kelly kicks in her sleep," Shane pointed out. "If you don't want to…"

"I guess we'll be even then," Hunter smirked, pointing to his cheek. Kelly chuckled slightly, but the other boys were lost. They had noticed the bruise on Kelly's cheek and asked her about it, but she told them she missed the doorway on her way upstairs to her bedroom and hurt herself.

"I don't mind sharing with Hunter," Kelly told Shane. She knew he would be protective, but she trusted Hunter. And honestly, she wanted to share with him. It would give her the chance to really feel comfortable with him and get to know him before anything really happened between the two of them.

"Hunter snores," Blake pointed out. "It gets loud."

"We're in a tent. I'll hear it anyways," Kelly shrugged. She crawled over to Hunter as he held the bag open for her.

Dustin lifted the baseball cap up and watched Hunter and Kelly snuggle up. He looked at the boys and laughed.

"Boy, she jumped in his bed rather quickly."

Kelly reached over, slamming her fist down on the hat. Dustin groaned loudly.

"No bed jokes, got it," he disappeared back inside the hat, hiding away before he did anything else stupid.

Shane sighed in defeat. He wasn't about to force Kelly to share with him if she felt comfortable sleeping with him. He pulled his sleeping bag up to his chin, "If everyone's comfortable then, goodnight."

"Goodnight," Blake answered.

Hunter could feel Kelly shivering from being wet and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. She snuggled in closer to his body before relaxing. Hunter smiled softly.

"Goodnight," he said to the boys. As they rolled over to sleep, Hunter planted a light kiss on top of Kelly's head. Softly, he whispered, "Goodnight."

Kelly rolled over in his arms and looked up at him, "Goodnight."


	42. Strains, Sprains and Broken Bones

The boys were amazed at all the interesting things they could do while camping. When they woke up, Kelly and Dustin had told them about a stream they had seem while gathering berries and other fruits that grew on the campground. So, while Kelly went to collect more fruit, Dustin led the boys to the river to catch fish. When everyone regrouped, the boys used their elemental powers to start a fire and cook their breakfast.

After breakfast, Dustin suggested everyone go on a hike. He couldn't help but notice the beautiful scenery the night before and wanted to explore it while the sun was out. Everyone agreed and they all set out on an adventure, trailing through the woods and straying off the path. No one worried about getting lost. After all, they were a group of ninjas, for the most part. They were used to the survival aspect of life.

Dustin was being towed around on Shane's shoulder, enjoying the ride as the boys and Kelly travelled on dirt paths, pushed branches and bushes out of their way and climbed the occasional ledge.

"This hike is really what I needed," he breathed, stretching out on Shane's shoulder and relaxing. Blake looked at him, panting heavily.

"Shut up."

"Is the poor ninja tired already?" Kelly chuckled, looking back. To her surprise, she had been leading the group. When the hike first began, she thought one of the boys would have wanted to lead the way, either to prove their manliness of show off their ninja survival skills. However, Kelly had seemed more adventurous than any of the boys, wanting to climb over, duck under, or crawl through obstacles. The boys had simply fallen back and let her take the lead. "You would think a ninja could last longer."

"I slept funny last night," Blake whined, rubbing his neck and upper back. "I think we set the tent up on uneven ground. Everything's killing me."

"I slept like a baby," Shane shrugged. "It must have just been your spot."

"Hunter? Kelly? Please back me up here. The ground was uneven, right?" Blake turned to his brother and Kelly. The two exchanged looks. They had slept soundly, and quite enjoyed the night in each other's arms. The ground had been rather rough, and Hunter had felt a little bit of unevenness, but considering he had been holding Kelly, he didn't really give a damn.

"I was okay," Kelly answered. "My parents used to take me camping when I was little. I don't mind sleeping directly on the ground."

"A little uneven," Hunter chuckled, patting his brother on his sore back, "But it didn't bother me."

"You're just a wimp, dude," Dustin smirked.

Kelly some came across a body of water. The river wasn't wide but she didn't feel like getting wet again. It was bad enough she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. She looked to the right and noticed that not too far away, there was a waterfall. It wasn't a big waterfall, but it was definitely high. She and the boys would have to climb over it if they wanted to get to the other side. They still had the entire day left and Kelly didn't want to turn back now. She rushed over and stood before the cliff.

"We are not climbing that," Blake frowned. He was already sore; he didn't want to risk further injury. Kelly turned around.

"Well, unfortunately your girlfriend isn't here to part the seas for us, so we're doing our best to cross the river."

Blake blushed, "She's… uh, not my…"

"Whatever," Kelly shrugged. She pointed up the cliff, "Look, it's only about seven feet up. If you drop you'll just be very winded."

"Are you sure?"

Hunter pushed past his brother, "Watch me first, baby bro. Maybe then you won't be as afraid."

He grabbed onto a rock protruding from the wall and placed his foot on another. He pulled himself up and continued to scale the cliff until he reached the top. He carefully jumped, catching onto the ground above him and pulled with his arms until he was on top of the cliff.

"See?" Hunter smirked proudly, "It's not hard."

Shane grabbed Dustin off his shoulder and tossed him up. He was going to go next and he didn't want Dustin accidentally falling off. The fall would have killed him at his size and Shane liked his best friend living and breathing. He would prefer it if Dustin had a little less fur, though.

"Whoa, hey!" Dustin called when Hunter caught him and set him down. Shane then began to scale the rock wall. When he was in arm's reach, Hunter grabbed him, helping him up.

"Who's next?" Hunter asked as he pulled Shane over the edge and made sure his friend was safe. Blake and Kelly turned to each other.

"Do you want to go?" Blake offered. Kelly looked up at the wall before nodding.

"Yeah, if you don't mind being last up."

"Does it make a difference?"

The red head shrugged before grabbing onto a rock from the wall and began climbing. When she was high enough, both Hunter and Shane lifted her with ease. She wasn't very heavy after all.

When Kelly was up, and on solid ground, she started looking around. Up on top of the waterfall the river wasn't as deep, probably reaching her ankles, whereas down below it would have easily reached her stomach. The water wasn't very powerful either. The water fall was more of a leak than it was a fall. The water didn't seem all that pressured to fall.

While the boys helped Blake up, Kelly started her way across the water, moving carefully. The ground was covered with rocks (obviously they were wet), so she had to make sure she didn't slip and hurt herself.

When Blake was up, Shane grabbed Dustin and the three boys and guinea pig followed the red head, also trying to be careful. Kelly could hear the water splashing around and turned to look back for just a second. She didn't see the rock that was more slippery than the rest of them. She set her foot down on it and it slid right off, knocking her off balance.

"Kelly!" Hunter called to her as he watched her fall. He rushed to her side and pulled her out of the water. It wasn't deep but she had fallen pretty hard. He didn't want her to accidentally drown. The other two boys hurried over as well.

"Dude, you okay?" Dustin asked his boss while Hunter and Blake pulled her back up to her feet. Kelly looked to Dustin while the brothers steadied her.

"Yeah I thi… OW!"

Kelly suddenly collapsed again. Hunter and Blake dropped with her. Shane hissed inwardly as he looked back at Dustin.

Hunter placed his hand on Kelly's back, "What is it?" he asked her. Kelly held her hand out for Hunter to take. He pulled her back up to her feet, a little confused as to why she was getting up.

With his help, Kelly hopped over to the side of the river before sitting down. She took a look at her ankle and groaned loudly.

"DAMMIT!"

"What is it?" Blake asked, coming over with Shane and Dustin. Kelly placed her foot back in the cold water.

"I think it's an ankle sprain," she said. She leaned over to touch her ankle, which caused her to hiss loudly. "Yeah, it's a sprain."

"Are you sure?" Hunter asked her. Kelly looked up at him.

"I've seen it a million times."

"I've sprained my ankle before," Shane nodded. "About two years ago. You remember that, right Kel?"

"Yeah, you did it in my store."

"Are you going to be okay to walk?" Blake asked. They had a long way back. It was bad enough Dustin was being carried the entire way.

"I'm not going to try," Kelly stated. Just as she began to look up at the boys, wondering who was going to help her, Hunter pulled her up and got her on his back.

"Time to backtrack," Shane sighed, turning around. First challenge: getting down.

-Storm-Chargers-

Hunter set Kelly down on a log just outside the tent before going back into the forest to collect firewood while the other boys collapsed from exhaustion. They had done some intensive workouts before, having attended their respective academies for years, but they found nothing more exhausting than the hike they had done.

"I am beat!" Shane called out, lounging on the ground. "I don't think I'm going to wait for nightfall."

"We still need something to eat though, dude," Dustin commented. He held his stomach in his hands, "I'm seriously hungry!"

Blake set down the bag of guinea pig food for his friend, "We have enough for you," he said. "Eat up."

Hunter returned from the forest, dropping the firewood in the little pit they had made earlier that day before looking over at Kelly. She was rubbing her ankle and her face was twisted in slight pain. As he started a fire he glanced over at her.

"You hungry?" he asked. "I think I passed a berry bush. I could get you something."

"I'm good," Kelly nodded. Blake extended his arm and slapped his brother on the leg.

"Bro, I need food! I'm starving."

"You have two functioning feet, get it yourself."

Blake sighed, "On second thought I'm not that hungry."

Shane motioned to the van, "Guys, Tori let us take some canned food with us, right?"

"Back of the van in the plastic bag," Kelly said. Shane jumped up and ran to the van. He brought the plastic bag back to the fire pit and dropped it.

"Shane bring food," he chuckled, lowering his voice to sound like a caveman. "Feed hungry men."

Dustin swallowed his mouthful of seeds, "How are you going to open those cans, dude? Tor didn't let us pack a can-opener."

Kelly pointed over to a rock, "You see that?" she told the boys, "Smash it against the top of the can until you break it open."

"Does that seriously work?" Shane reached for the rock and began smashing it against the top of the can.

"We'll find out."

Shane shrugged as he beat the can with the rock and ignored the rest of the world until he got the can open.

While Blake waited for his food he grabbed a stick and began poking the fire, causing some sparks to fly out. The fire was warm and he was completely dried off from the river, but he still felt cold. The sun was starting to set already and right now he just wished Tori had decided to come on the camping trip with him. He wanted to sit by the fire and wrap her up in his arms with the sleeping bag covering them both. It had only been a little while since they had started dating, but he was already head over heels for her. He liked her the moment their eyes met and felt terrible for using her. When he and Hunter left Blue Bay Harbour right after that, he had missed her friendship. They way she smiled and joked around with him, and how she was always so concerned about him. No one had ever been that nice to him and treated him so kindly except for Hunter.

Blake liked Tori a lot. He knew that. He liked being near her, he liked talking to her… but without her here he started to wonder if he really did just like her or if it was more than that. When he left, he knew he was going to miss her, but he didn't think he would be thinking about her 24/7. He wanted so badly to talk to her and tell her about his day, or ask her about hers.

He wrapped his arms around himself and laid down on his back, looking up at the stars. He wondered what she was doing right now.

Shane was also looking up at the stars while he smashed but he wasn't thinking about Tori. His mind had drifted back to Skyla, the alien he had met a while back. He had fallen madly in love with her and had been devastated when she passed on to her next life. He thought he had gotten over it, but after the events from last night, all his emotions came back.

He had seen Kelly and Hunter getting comfortable in the sleeping bag and was sure there was something developing there. He wasn't going to call them out on it because he wasn't certain what it was, or if he was right, but he knew he was jealous. Hunter had someone to hold while he was alone.

Suddenly, Shane realised there was something poking his sides. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at Dustin.

"Dude, the can's open," Dustin said, pointing to the can. Shane looked down. There was a hole in the can, big enough to let the food come out.

"Oh," he said.

Hunter grabbed the can and peaked inside, "What are we eating?"

"I just grabbed one," Shane shrugged. He took the can back from Hunter and read the label, "Peaches."

"Great," Hunter smiled. "I don't need to cook."

Shane passed the can to Blake after taking a handful of peaches. He thought he would be hungrier after the hike, but they had passed by tons of fruits on their way back and everyone had eaten until they were satisfied. Blake took a little more than a handful before passing the can to Hunter.

Hunter offered the can to Kelly, but she shook her head.

"Not hungry," she whispered. Hunter noticed she was still rubbing her ankle. He put the can down and placed a hand on her back.

"Do you want me to get you something to put your foot on?" he asked her. Kelly shook her head.

"No. I think I'll try to sleep the pain away, before pain really starts to kick in."

Kelly pushed herself up and limped over to the tent. She was walking, which was a good sign at least. Hunter swallowed the rest of the peaches inside the can before going in after her.

"I'm going to make sure she can get to bed okay," he said, making up an excuse to be alone with her. Shane, Dustin and Blake all nodded, letting their friend go inside the tent. When hunter disappeared Shane whispered to the remaining boys.

"There is definitely something going on."

Hunter crawled inside the tent and sat down beside Kelly. Thankfully they had packed a big enough tent so not everyone was crammed together.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, watching her tend to her own sprain. Kelly shrugged.

"It hurts, but I've had worse, much worse."

"Really?" Hunter frowned. "You don't have any scars."

"Is that your subtle way of calling me perfect again?" Kelly asked jokingly. Hunter smirked and shrugged.

"If it were subtle you wouldn't have picked up on it."

Kelly chuckled, "Smooth, Bradley."

She unzipped the sleeping bag, making it easier for her to crawl inside with her ankle. She found that any kind of movement caused her pain. When she was inside comfortably she reached back down to zip it up again. The zipper was located at her feet so she really had to stretch to get to it.

Hunter hopped up and reached for it himself, zipping her in.

"We don't want you to pull a muscle, do we?" he smirked. "Are you sure you don't need anything for the ankle? We don't have ice but…"

"I'll get it checked out tomorrow, I promise," Kelly assured him. "Tori sat three days in nature, she never said three full days."

"Are you sure you don't want to head back now?" Hunter asked.

"Positive. We can't have anyone questioning your manliness, can we?"

"Okay… but are you sure…"

"If you ask me if I'm sure about something one more time…"

Hunter grinned, "I'm coming to bed. Make room."

Kelly playfully shoved him away, "Go get your own sleeping bag while the others aren't here."

"And let someone, who isn't me, sleep with you?" Hunter gasped. "That's absurd!"

"OW!" Kelly cried as Hunter made his way inside the sleeping bag. He accidentally pulled on it too hard which twisted Kelly's ankle and caused her unneeded pain.

His eyes widened, "Did I…?"

"Two for two, Bradley," Kelly nodded. "My face and now my foot. Next time you hurt me can it be on the right side? We might as well even out the pain."

"I'm so sorry, Kel," Hunter apologized. "I didn't mean to…"

Kelly smiled, "It's okay."

She pushed him down on his back before resting on top of him. He had snuck in on her right so when she laid down on him she was lying on the right side of her body, where she had no injuries. She looked up at him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"See, the one good thing about one-sided injuries. This doesn't hurt."

Hunter traced the bruise on her cheek bone gently with his fingers.

"Again, I'm really sorry. I wanted to miss."

"I've had worse, trust me," Kelly smirked. She counted on her fingers: "surgery on my knee when I was five, stitches when I was eight, strains, sprains and broken bones all through my childhood and my mother dying. Nope, this definitely is not the most pain I've ever felt."

Hunter looked down at her, "What kind of demon child were you? Surgery, stitches, strains, sprains and broken bones?"

"Name a sport, I've tried it," Kelly said. "You don't become your high school's top athlete without obtaining some injuries beforehand."

Hunter took her up on her challenge. He already knew she had a passion for motocross and was a skateboarder when she was a kid. He also knew she had tried her hand at surfing and for a while she practiced fencing. He wanted to see what else she had up her sleeve.

"Soccer," he started with something easy and popular. Kelly nodded while resting her head on Hunter's chest, using it as a pillow. Hunter thought harder, "Football?"

"Played until I dislocated my shoulder. Wasn't allowed to go back for a bit and then just never played again."

"Ouch, okay… how about… basket-ball?"

"Basket-ball and even net-ball for a bit. Not as popular here as it is overseas, but I thought it was cool."

"Baseball?"

"Softball, and I played it until I stupidly smashed my knee with the bat. I was four so don't ask."

"Horseback riding?"

"In camp for a summer. Horse tried to bit me on the first day."

"Golf?"

"Tried it. Fell asleep in the cart."

"Gymnastics?"

"Strains, sprains and broken bones," Kelly nodded while yawning loudly.

Hunter had to think. He had gone through the list in his head and so far Kelly had tried everything. He wanted to find something, anything that she had yet to try.

"Hockey?"

"For three years. Stitches made me quit."

He decided to stick with the skate-sports.

"Figure skating?"

Kelly yawned again, "Tried it for a year, but the spandex gave me a wedgie. I didn't enjoy that."

"Tell me about it," Hunter laughed. He tried to think of another sport but fell short. He was getting tired and his mind wasn't as sharp as he hoped. "Did I already ask about baseball?"

He received no answer. Thinking maybe he had asked already, he looked down to see if Kelly was giving him a stupid look. He was surprised to see she was completely passed out. He had imagined that with the pain of her sprained ankle it would take her longer. Obviously he had taken her mind off it by questioning her about her various sports and the injuries he had received. After hearing a portion of the list (he was sure she had only just gotten started) he was surprise Kelly was still standing up straight. It seemed her body had seen worse than a sprain and she knew how to take care of herself when she did get injured. Hunter had never seen any scars or marks on her body and it wasn't because he hadn't noticed her.

He squeezed her gently, pulling her in a little closer before kissing her on top of her head and closing his eyes. He could get used to this.


	43. While They Were Away

"Easy, easy, easy," Hunter coached as he assisted Kelly inside Storm Chargers with Blake right behind them. Dustin and Shane were back at Ninja Ops. On the way home from the camping trip, Dustin had received news via Shane's morpher from Cam that the body-switching machine was up and running again (thanks to a lot of hard work from Cam, Leanne and Sensei) and he could get his body back.

"If you say easy one more time… OW!" Kelly growled, smacking Hunter on the back of the head when he accidentally ran her ankle into the door frame. "Watch it, Bradley."

Tori was at work in the store when she saw Kelly and the brothers getting back from their camping trip. The first thing she noticed was Kelly's limping and Hunter supporting her. She rolled her eyes as she came over to help.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, taking over for Hunter. She walked Kelly to the couch and set her down while Blake went to get an ice pack.

"We went for a hike yesterday," Hunter explained, "And Miss Kelly thought it would be fun to sprain her ankle in the river."

"Yes, it was totally my idea of fun. You know how much I love being injured and in pain and having to share a sleeping bag with Hunter the kicker!"

"Are they still bickering?" Tori asked Blake when he returned with an ice pack. Tori handed Kelly the ice pack while Blake chuckled.

"Yeah, but its boyfriend/girlfriend bickering," he explained, keeping his voice down so the two wouldn't hear him. "They were cuddling both nights and sharing a sleeping bag."

"Sharing?" Tori frowned. "I thought you brought…"

"We forgot one," Blake sighed. "And if you had come up it would have been the perfect excuse for us to sleep together."

Tori blushed and turned away. Blake took a deep breath.

"Uh, not like that… I mean…"

"OW! Kelly!"

"Aw, does the big bad ninja need some ice for his booboo?" Kelly mocked. Hunter rubbed his arm, where Kelly had smacked him with the ice pack. He gave her a look before pouting playfully. He reached over, snatching her ice pack away from her.

"Yes, my booboo hurts."

"Hey!" Kelly shouted, reaching out, trying to get her ice pack back. "Give it back!"

"Bro, cut it out," Blake sighed loudly as he snatched the ice pack from Hunter. He tried to place it down on Kelly's ankle for her but accidentally twisted it slightly. Kelly screamed it pain. She stole the ice pack from him and smacked him with it. "OW! Kelly!"

"Do you see what I put up with?" Hunter frowned. "You try to be chivalrous and BAM!" Hunter brought his hands down on the footstool he was sitting on, accidentally hitting Kelly's foot without realising. Kelly opened her mouth, but the pain was so intense that there was no scream to escape her lips. Hunter failed to notice anything at all, "she smacks you!"

Kelly finally bit her lip and looked over at Tori, "Please," she groaned. "If I could, you know what I would do."

Tori smirked, "I'll do one better. Leanne, guess what!" she called, running to the back room. "Hunter's beating up your sister!"

Hunter's eyes widened as it finally sunk in. He looked down at his hand and noticed where it was placed. Pulling it up, he hissed, "Oh, sorry about that, Kel."

"Three strikes, you're out," Kelly smirked.

"Or in bowling, that's a turkey," Hunter smiled. "Did you bowl?"

"Who hasn't? Got a score of 285 when I was 13."

"Wow," Hunter breathed before Leanne walked in. He got to his feet and started for the door, "I will find a sport you've never tried and/or heard of!"

"Good luck!" Kelly smiled, waving goodbye. Leanne moved forward, scaring him out the door. When Hunter was gone, she turned to Kelly.

"What the hell happened?"

"Doctor said I should be fine," Kelly shrugged. She pointed to her ankle, which had been placed in a splint. "I've hurt myself like this before. Give it another day or so and I'll be limping on my own."

"She's done worse," Blake added. "She and Hunter were talking about injuries in the car and going through all the sports Kelly's played."

"Croquet?" Leanne asked.

"Good one," her sister smiled. "I played it in camp once."

"Oh, was that the time you broke your toe?" Tori asked. Kelly sighed.

"Yes."

"Is there a sport where you haven't hurt yourself?" Blake groaned. After hearing this same conversation for two hours in the car, he wanted it to end. Kelly thought for a minute before chuckling.

"Kickboxing when I was seven. Never got hurt."

"Of course," he frowned. He pointed to the back room, "I've got a shift."

"You're late," Tori teased him, tapping her watch. Blake's jaw dropped.

"Seriously? I was at the doctor's office with the boss!"

"You didn't call… no letter…" Tori smiled sweetly as she looked at Blake. He grinned playfully before heading to work. Leanne nudged Tori when he was gone.

"What was that?" she asked. Tori shook her head, trying to play off the innocent flirting.

"What?"

"That?" Leanne motioned to where Blake had been standing. "What you just did?"

"Give Blake a warning about being late to work?" Tori frowned. "That's called being the boss."

"The flirting," Kelly said, helping her sister. "What the hell was that?"

Tori furrowed her brow, "There was no flirting. He was late."

"And then you did the whole innocent flirty act."

"You and Blake are a couple!" Leanne gasped. Tori scoffed loudly.

"Yeah, right," she bit her lower lip and pointed over her shoulder, "I have to help that guy."

"The woman?"

"Whatever. She's looking at the wrong wrist guards."

Making a quick exit before she could be interrogated any further, Tori bolted over to the woman looking at the wrist guards. Leanne and Kelly exchanged a look before dropping the topic completely. Tori lived with them; they were going to catch her again before the day was done.

Leanne pointed to her sister's ankle, "Seriously?"

"Tripped," Kelly answered. "I'm fine, though. I got some pain killers so I only feel it when Hunter's being a total space case and smacking it," she looked back up at her sister, "How was everything here while I was away?"

"Quiet," Leanne nodded. "Well, except when Drew stopped by yesterday. He was looking for you."

"Glad I missed that," Kelly sighed, rolling her eyes. Leanne shrugged.

"I don't know, you might want to view the security tapes. Drew was trying to get his ego back. Poor Tori never knew what was coming."

Kelly frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, in his mind he was trying to prove that he was still the tough guy everyone knew in high school, and that all girls really do want him, but really he was trying to prove he wasn't a rapist by trying to seduce Tori when she clearly stated she wasn't interested."

"Too bad Tori wasn't still 17," Kelly sighed. "Statutory Rape Part II."

Leanne nodded, "Anyways, after Tori kept rejecting him he tried taking matters into his own hands. He kissed her and she wound up nailing him."

"What?" Kelly gasped. Leanne grinned.

"Right in the kisser," she chuckled. "Tiny Tori started pounding on him! He didn't stand a chance! After three minutes he was begging for _me_ to save him!"

"Please tell me you broke up the fight before Storm Chargers earned a bad reputation."

"Bad reputation?" Leanne asked. "Everyone saw what happened! There were a group of guys cheering Tori on and parents teaching their kids how to respect themselves so they didn't wind up in that situation. I thought I was going to have to start charging for autographs."

Kelly chuckled, "That's what he gets for trying to hit on a ninja."

"He kept saying something about him and Tori trying to prove to you that he was a good guy and that he would never take advantage of a woman. He thought that by sleeping with someone close to you he could prove that."

"The man's insane!"

"The man's never coming back here," Leanne nodded. "Two minutes at Tori's mercy and he's scared shitless. His pride is gone for good. There's no recovering from being beat up by a girl half your size, weight and seven years younger than you are. Ninja or not."

"I guess that's true," Kelly smiled.

"When Drew left he threatened to press charges, but something tells me he won't," Leanne shrugged.

"And if he does we've got security cameras as evidence that he made the first move," Kelly nodded.

"I just wish you could have seen it in person."

Blake headed over to the couches, wanting to ask Kelly where she kept the extra pencils when he noticed the two sisters were laughing. He walked over with a smile.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Tori's make out session with Drew while you guys were camping," Leanne chuckled. "You should have seen it."

Blake felt his heart sinking, "Her… what?"

Leanne waved it off, "Nothing, I'll explain later. What do you need?"

"Pencils…" Blake frowned. "I lost… I don't…"

"Oh, um, in my desk, middle drawer on the right… left side," Kelly said, pointing to the backroom where her desk was located. "I should have my own little pencil army in there. Take as many as you need."

"Thanks," Blake turned away, feeling completely devastated. He had been gone for three days and Tori was already making out with someone else.

Kelly noted his upset appearance as he left. She looked at Leanne.

"Do you see that?"

"See what?" Leanne frowned.

"That. Blake! He walked away looking like a kicked-puppy."

Leanne turned to the backroom for a moment before shrugging, "I don't know, he's my brother, I don't pay attention to him."

"Alright," Kelly frowned. There was a silence as Leanne looked around the store, trying to see if anyone needed help. Suddenly she thought of a sport.

"Squash?"

"Played it, didn't really enjoy it. I got a bruise the size of the ball on my forehead once. Try explaining that to your middle school friends without them laughing."

Leanne frowned. This was difficult.

Suddenly Hunter ran in through the doors, holding up a flyer, "Dude! Look at this!"

He handed the flyer over to Kelly. She read it and smiled.

"I almost forgot!"

"What?" Leanne asked, taking a look at the flyer.

"The U.S Action Games," Kelly explained. "_The _place to be for anyone dreaming of having a career in the Action Sport's world. Dustin, Tori and Shane have been every year. Shane and Dustin even compete and try to rank somewhere in the top spots so a huge sponsor can notice them."

"Blake and I have always wanted to go," Hunter nodded. "But Sensei Omino never let us."

"He's right about that," Leanne said. "I never knew about the Action Games until right now."

Kelly took the flyer back from her sister, "Shit! I've got to register the guys for this before tomorrow!"

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked.

"Registration's due tomorrow," Kelly frowned. "Normally I go pick up the forms for the guys so they can sign up, but with the whole Drew issue I totally blanked! Shane and Dustin are going to murder me!"

"No sweat," Hunter shrugged, "I can go pick up the forms. I can pick two up for myself and Blake while I'm there."

Kelly nodded, "Thank you so much! When you get there ask for a guy named Joe and tell him that I sent you. He'll let you cut and stamp the forms so you guys get first pick. It's generally first come first serve, but Storm Chargers has sponsored the Action Games in Blue Bay for years."

"Advantage," Leanne smiled before getting to work. Sport talked wasn't really her thing.

"Alright, Joe," Hunter nodded, trying to remember the name as he took off.

Kelly sat on the couch, trying to think about what to put on Shane and Dustin's forms. Every year she filled them out aside from their names and guardian signatures. She always put down Storm Chargers as a sponsor for Dustin, and unofficially sponsored Shane for the day while he competed. She needed to put down all the information about the sponsorship and found it was easier to just do it for the boys instead of trying to get them to remember.

She knew Shane competed in the same competition every year, while Dustin would sometimes flop back and forth before settling. She remembered last year he had his mind set on going back to freestyle motocross, and he suddenly changed it back to motocross at the last minute. The year before that he considered trying supercross. He practiced for weeks before bailing and going back to what he loved. She wondered if he was going to flop back and forth again this year. She remembered hearing him bring up freestyle recently, but he never discussed it seriously with her. Aside from regular motocross, freestyle was the sport he loved best. For a while, during his childhood, when his father first introduced him to freestyle, he had done nothing but before discovering the joys of racing. Sometimes he did wish he could go back.

It was best just to talk with Shane and Dustin before officially signing them up for anything. They were eighteen this year anyways, and capable of making their own choices and signing they own forms.

-Storm-Chargers-

Blake was unaware of the Action Sport's games as he worked in the backroom. Even if he could hear what was going on, his mind was somewhere else.

He looked up. He could see Tori standing at the cash register as she rang up a customer, a male customer. He noticed her laughing and talking with him, like there was nothing wrong with her actions. He clenched his fist tightly as he stared at her, breaking the pencil he was holding.

When the man grabbed his bag from Tori, Blake saw their hands touching. He was sure it wasn't innocent. He knew women always had a way of subtly flirting with men, especially with that smile. That was the smile he thought she only gave him.

He could hear her, too. A cute goodbye as the customer walked off. It disgusted him.

He stopped staring at her when she turned around and started to make her way over. He pretended to go back to work, marking things down on his paper.

Tori knelt down beside him, "You know, pencils work better then they aren't snapped in half."

"It works fine," Blake said. Tori pulled the pencil from his hand.

"I'm sure it would, if you weren't using the half with the eraser," she picked up the half with the lead from the ground and handed it to Blake, "This might help you out a bit."

Blake snatched it from her hand, "Thanks, but I know what I'm doing."

Tori pulled back a little, "Whoa, okay, what's with the attitude?"

"Like you wouldn't know," Blake snapped. He glared hatefully at her. "If you're not going to take this seriously then we're done."

"What?" Tori asked. "Take what seriously? The broken pencil? Kelly's got a million of them stashed away. I'm sure it's not some big catastrophe."

"Whatever, Tor," Blake scoffed. He stood up straight and began walking away. "I've got somewhere else I need to be."

Tori checked her watch, "It's quarter after! You've still got five hours left in your shift!"

"I think you can make an exception. I'll talk to Kelly about us working separately from now on."

"Blake? What are you…?" Tori never finished her sentence. Blake stormed out, slamming the door to the backroom. Tori ran out to follow him, but when she got to the front of the store he was already gone.


	44. Leanne's Joke

When Hunter returned with the forms for the U.S Action Games, he handed them out to Shane and Dustin, who had returned shortly after switching Dustin and Sensei's bodies. Hunter had also kept two forms, one for himself and one for his brother. Shane was currently on the couches, filling out his form with a wide grin on his face, while Dustin was in the backroom on Kelly's desk, staring at the paper. He had his pencil in his mouth as he chewed on the eraser, trying to think of a way to break the news to Kelly.

As she finished with the last customer of the day he walked over to her.

"Hey, uh, Kel… can I talk to you?" he asked her. Kelly looked up at him and nodded.

"Of course."

"I've, uh… made a decision," he started. Kelly frowned as she continued to look at him. She glanced over at the forms still sitting on her desk.

"I would hope so. You are going to the Games, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah, totally, dude," Dustin nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. It's just…"

Kelly shook her head slightly as she turned back to him. She could tell there was something bothering him, "What is it, Dustin?"

"I'm giving up racing."

Kelly was floored. She glanced right up at her young friend; completely shocked those words had just left his mouth. She tried to think of another meaning for them aside from motocross. Video games, toy cars, even wind-up toys, but nothing really made sense.

Then again, neither did giving up motocross.

When her body and brain came out of the shock she spoke, "You're not serious…"

"Yeah, I am," he said.

"Where did this come from, Dustin?" Kelly asked him. "Why would you want to give it up?"

Dustin took a deep breath, "Well… I realised that… I love freestyle."

Again, Kelly was floored, "You're kidding me. I know you've teetered back and forth for the last couple of Games, but you always said freestyling was just a _what if_."

Dustin nodded, "Yeah, it was… but then I saw Hunter and Blake had forms as well and… I'll never be able to compete with them!"

Kelly shook her head. This was ridiculous.

"That can't seriously be the reason you're quitting racing! You're a great rider, Dustin!"

"Yeah… I know that," Dustin nodded. Kelly rolled her eyes but let him continue, "It's just… Blake and Hunter ride as well… and their great at it! I'm not the motocross dude anymore."

"This isn't because they stole your passion, is it?" Kelly asked.

"Shane's the skateboarding guy, Tori's the surfer chick and I used to be the motocross dude! Now Hunter and Blake are the Motocross dudes now too… if I go into freestyle then I'll have something to call my own."

When Dustin finished explaining his reason he looked at Kelly, afraid of what she might say. She had always supported his dreams and had worked hard to help him improve in motocross. Now, suddenly, he was changing his mind of her, switching up his dreams almost entirely. Sure, he was still riding a bike, but there were so many differences between racing and freestyle.

"I don't want to let you down," he decided to add, hoping maybe it would help her feel better. "You've been so good to me."

Kelly finally smiled, "Look, Storm Chargers is about action sports, and freestyle motocross is an action sport. So, if that's what you _want_ to do then I'm behind you 100%, and so is the shop."

Dustin was relieved to hear this. He smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around his boss, thankful she was so supportive.

Shane jumped up from the couch and rushed over to his two friends, interrupting their moment. He shoved his form in Kelly's hands.

"Filled out and signed," he told her with a grin. "All you have to do is get it in and that gold trophy will be mine."

Kelly chuckled as she put the forms down on the counter, "I love the confidence, but can you deflate that head of yours just a little bit. You still want it to fit inside your helmet."

"Sorry, Kel. I just feel like this is the year, you know?" Shane smirked. He placed his hand on Dustin's shoulder before catching sight of the clock in the corner of his eye. He frowned, "Dude, it's late already?"

"7:30, why?" Kelly asked. Shane began pulling Dustin away with him as he headed for the door.

"Man, my parents are going to freak! I told them I would be home before 6!"

"Dude, why am I coming with you?" Dustin asked as he was pulled away.

"Your parents still think you're staying with me," Shane said. "We both need to be home. Remember last time I upset my mom by coming home late?"

Dustin's eyes widened before he took off with Shane. Kelly chuckled, shaking her head. She remembered being a teenager. Thankfully it still wasn't all that long ago.

She reached over to the wall behind her, grabbing her crutches so she could make her way upstairs. She had mastered crutches and the stairs when she was ten and she twisted her knee. It was a skill she thought was very useful for major athletes and was still serving her well.

When she got upstairs she saw Leanne banging her fist against the bedroom door. She limped over and tried to open the door but found it was jammed.

"Tori's in there," Leanne explained before turning to the door and shouting "WITH MY CELL PHONE!"

Kelly chuckled, "Calm down. Why does she have your cell phone?"

"Apparently hers ran out of minutes."

"Already?" Kelly asked. She knew Tori had a good plan. It wasn't great, but there was nothing to complain about. In the years she's known Tori, the surfer had never once exceeded, or even come close to exceeding her minutes. "Who has she been talking to?"

Leanne shook her head before pounding on the door again, "I don't know, but if she doesn't give me my phone back neither of us will be making calls!"

Suddenly the door opened and Tori shoved Leanne's cell phone back into the Thunder Ninja's arms. Before Leanne could muster up a thank you Tori slammed the door shut again. The two sisters could hear some movement going on in their bedroom and could only assume Tori was blocking the door again.

Kelly turned to Leanne and pointed to the phone, "Happy?"

"She's been like this since before I got up here," Leanne frowned. "I tried getting her to come out but she just ignores me. She's locked herself in our room and refuses to come out."

Kelly shrugged, "She'll get hungry at some point. When she does she'll have her favourite dinner waiting for her on the table. Maybe then she'll want to talk."

Leanne watched her sister as Kelly headed to the kitchen to start cooking.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Tori seems upset. Shouldn't we…"

"Trust me," Kelly nodded. "When Tori's ready to talk to us she will. Before then there's nothing we can do… unless you want to suffer through hours of her chewing your head off for things you've never done."

Leanne looked back at the door, "Okay… if you're sure," she turned back to her sister, "What are you making?"

"Grilled cheese," Kelly smiled. "Simple, yummy and Tori's favourite. Once she smells the toasted bread and the melted cheese she'll come out."

-Storm-Chargers-

Just as Kelly promised, Tori came out of the bedroom. It had taken a few hours, but her stomach began rumbling loudly and she could no longer deprive herself of Kelly's grilled cheese. Meekly, she made her way to the fridge and pulled out her plate. It was cold, but it was still better than nothing. After all, Kelly had yet to make a grilled cheese sandwich that Tori didn't like.

She was about to head back into her friends' bedroom to hide, but Kelly heard her making noise from the couch. She turned around and called the blue Ranger over. Reluctantly, Tori went to sit beside her two friends.

"I was hungry."

"Yeah, that's fine," Kelly nodded.

"Want to explain why you've been ignoring us all night?" Leanne asked her. "It's getting late and I want my bed back."

Tori shrugged, "It's nothing, don't worry about it. If you want to go to bed I'll stay here on the couch."

Kelly and Leanne exchanged looks, both agreeing they weren't going to leave until their unofficial little sister felt better.

"If there's something bothering you, you know we'll listen," Kelly offered. Leanne shook her head.

"Or, if you just want to talk to Kelly, I have no problem checking up on a few things downstairs," she suggested. She understood that maybe Tori was hesitant to talk because she was present. Kelly and Tori had known each other for a while, and though Tori had bonded with her, Leanne knew there were still some topics that were better left unspoken.

"No, it's fine, guys, really," Tori said. "I'll be okay."

Kelly decided that invasion of privacy was the way to go. She stole her sister's phone and checked the history.

"You've been trying to call Blake for the last three hours," she said. "That wouldn't have anything to do with your sudden depression, would it?"

Tori pulled away, "No…"

"Is he ignoring you?" Leanne asked. Tori nodded her head slowly. "Did you do something?"

Tori shook her head, "He got all pissed off at me earlier, and when I asked him about it he told me that I should know the reason. I don't."

"Is there any reason he would get pissed off at you?" Kelly asked. "Did you do something?"

Tori shrugged, "You guys just got home from camping. There was nothing I could have done. I teased him about his pencil but I highly doubt that would send him over the edge in any situation."

"You like him, don't you?" Leanne smirked. That would be the only reason Tori was hurting the way she was. She liked Blake and it hurt her to know he was ignoring her.

Tori lowered her head, "Yeah. We started dating."

Leanne and Kelly's eyes widened. They had suspected that there were some sparks between the two blue Rangers, but they never assumed that the two were actually dating.

"When did this happen?" Leanne asked. Tori turned to Kelly.

"That day we went on the date with Drew," she whispered. "When Blake and I were alone it felt right and… we decided to start dating. We didn't want to tell you right away though because of when it happened."

Kelly's face twisted. She was happy for her friend, but at the same time a little insulted. In the end, everything worked out that day, and Blake and Tori had done their job rather well, so Kelly really couldn't complain about what they were doing in their own time, but there was also the fact that they had only been asked to join so they could keep a look out on Drew, not make out in the forest.

She pushed her feelings aside though. It didn't matter what happened that day. Everyone was alive and safe. She wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Don't worry about it," she told her. "That's water under the bridge. So you and Blake are dating?"

"Not anymore," Tori groaned. She still hadn't touched her sandwich but she wasn't feeling hungry anymore. She set the plate down on the coffee table. "Just before I handed Leanne her phone back he finally picked up."

"What did he say?" Leanne asked.

Tori sighed, "He accused me of cheating on him while he was away. He says he knows about me making out with another guy! There was only Drew, but you saw what happened, Leanne! You know I hated every minute of that kiss! And I kicked his ass for it!"

Kelly and Leanne exchanges looks once more, this time worried. Leanne had joked to Blake about Tori making out with Drew, but she had no idea Blake and Tori were dating, nor did she expect him to take her seriously. Carefully, she mouthed to Kelly, "_What do we do?"_

Kelly mouthed back, "_We? I'm not the one who made this mess!"_

"_It was __**our**__conversation."_

"_They were __**your**__ words. You fix this."_

Leanne looked back at Tori, seeing how hurt her friend was. She could only imagine how much this was hurting Blake.

"Why would he assume that!" she gasped, pretending she knew nothing. Kelly glared at her sister. Leanne shrugged, "_What?"_

"_Tell her the truth!"_

Leanne shook her head, quickly glancing at Tori for a moment, _"She scares me. You didn't see her beat up Drew."_

"_Tell her or I will."_

"_No, thank you."_

Kelly groaned loudly, throwing her hands up in the air, "This is messed up," she grabbed her crutches and pulled herself to her foot. When she was up she turned back to Leanne, "Can I talk to you for a minute, Leanne?"

Leanne shook her head again, "No, thank you. I'm good."

"Let Tori rest and follow me," Kelly growled. Leanne refused. Kelly turned to Tori, "Excuse me."

Tori pulled back further into the couch as Kelly lifted her right crutch and swung it at Leanne. The Thunder Ninja flipped back, rolling off the arm of the couch to avoid metal to the face. When she landed on the ground she looked up at her sister.

"What the hell?"

Kelly looked at Tori once again, "I'm sure this will all work out. Just wait for Blake to calm down and tell him the truth. I think he must have heard the Drew story from a customer who told it the wrong way. You know how they can be sometimes."

Tori nodded, "I guess."

"I promise, everything will work itself out for the best," Kelly assured her friend. She reached for the blanket on the side of the bed and tossed it to Tori while the water ninja grabbed her pillow. "Don't worry about it. And if Blake doesn't believe you, I'll be walking with these crutches for a few days. I don't mind denting people's faces."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Leanne muttered. Kelly growled at her before motioning to the bedroom. Defeated, Leanne followed her sister. When they were inside she sat on her new bed, "You didn't have to swing at me."

"I know it was just a joke, Leanne, but you have to tell her!"

"But she's scary when she's angry!" Leanne said. "Her eyes turn a demonic shade of red, her nostrils flare up like a raging bull, you can see her razor sharp, flesh eating teeth and her punches are strong and fast as lighting! And this is coming from a _graduate _Thunder student!"

"What about telling the truth for your brother?" Kelly said. "This involves Blake too. I'm sure he's hurting just as much as the blue hulk out there!"

"If I try to talk to Blake I'm going to have to deal with his brother," Leanne frowned. "Hunter's not going to be happy when he learns Tori cheated on his baby brother."

"Let me worry about him," Kelly said. "You're telling one of the blue Rangers and you're going to do it before either of them shed another tear over this!"

Leanne glanced at the closed door. She had her heart broken before. She knew Tori was probably out there crying softly over this whole mess.

"Can't it wait until morning?" she asked. "I mean, it's not my fault. It was just a joke, told in a joking manner? Are we sure Blake's really the one for Tori, if he assumes she's just some slut who will jump at the opportunity to kiss a scumbag from planet asshole just to satisfy her sexual craving when her new boyfriend is out of town for three days? That sounds like an undeserving partner to me. If I had a boyfriend, I would want him to trust that I could behave myself for three days and he wouldn't believe the first lie out of someone's mouth when it's told in a joking manner."

Kelly stared at her sister as she tucked herself into bed. The length some people would go to to avoid coming clean about their messes…

Finally, the older red her shook her head, "If Tori likes Blake then she should be the one who decides if Blake is undeserving or not, not you."

"You're really going to make me go through with this, aren't you?"

"If you don't, I'll fire you."

"I co-own this store with you, remember?" Leanne smirked. "You said it was a family business, I told you I was family. We signed the deal."

"I'll tear it up, forget you are my sister and send you out on the streets to sleep in a cardboard box."

Leanne crossed her arms, "Fine, but I don't like this deal."


	45. Coming Clean

Work was particularly quiet on this day. Tori was still upset at her recent break-up with Blake and his accusations against her, so naturally she would keep to herself as much as possible.

Leanne felt really bad about the part she played in the break up between the two blue Rangers, but couldn't find the courage required to walk up to Tori and clear the air. Until she could, she felt weird around Tori and could barely look the eighteen year old in the eyes, never mind speak with her.

Kelly was standing behind the counter, leaning against it slightly to keep the weight off her foot as she watched her sister and Tori. Leanne was busy taking care of organising and stocking the store for the day while Tori was in the back, making sure all the equipment was ready for Dustin when he came into work.

The bell on the door rang as Hunter walked in for his shift. He wasn't scheduled, but with Kelly's sprained ankle he offered to take up a shift just to help her out. Working behind the counter would be easy for her, but if she needed to run out into the store to help a customer find something quickly she would have a hard time with the crutches.

He smiled brightly as he walked over to the counter. He even jumped up, slid over the counter and landed on the other side.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up and taking a bow when he landed on his two feet. Kelly stared at him, shaking her head.

"8.0," she told him. "Great execution and a good slid, but your feet wobbled a bit on the landing and when you finish you should keep your feet together."

Hunter pouted, "Let me see you try."

"Give me a few weeks," Kelly chuckled. She checked the clock on the register, "Leanne, are you almost ready? Five minutes."

Leanne folded up her last box and tossed it into a corner with all the others, "Open up whenever, I'm done out here."

Kelly nodded, "I'm taking those five minutes."

Tori walked out from the backroom, "Everything's set up, Kel. Hopefully Dustin's on time today."

Hunter glared as the blond stepped beside him. Last night he had spend hours trying to mend his brother's broken heart because of Tori. He wasn't about to play nice.

"Good morning, whore," Hunter muttered, just loud enough for Tori to hear it. She snapped her head up to look at him as he continued, "Bang any other douche bags today, or did the one satisfy you for now?"

Kelly smacked Hunter with her clipboard, "That's enough," she warned, but Hunter wasn't going to back down.

"You know, there are a few guys at the track who would just love some meaningless fun. Next time I see them I'll give them your number."

"Hunter, stop it," Tori growled. She wasn't going to take this. She assumed he was just trying to defend his brother, so she tried not to explode, but she her day was already bad enough. Not only was Hunter going to be working with her, but Blake was scheduled to work as well. She had wanted to take a sick day, but Kelly refused, knowing full well Tori wasn't sick, and she also though that work might help get her mind off the break up. Little did Tori know that Kelly had other motives for sticking her and Blake together for their shift, with Leanne nearby?

Hunter shrugged, "It's not my fault you can't hold back. Don't worry, though, if we can't stop Lothor, maybe we'll just send you up to his ship. After years of floating around in space with alien freaks and his two nieces, I'm sure he could use the stress relief."

Tori clenched her fist, trying to contain her anger at Hunter. She knew he wasn't normally like this and that he was only protecting his brother, but he was aiming low. Everything he was saying had been uncalled for, especially considering he only heard one side of the story. He never bothered to ask if Tori really did make out with Drew or not. Though the answer was yes, Tori hadn't been a willing participant in the action, and to prove it she had sent to much older man packing without dignity.

However, she couldn't contain her anger anymore when she glared up at Hunter and saw the malicious smirk plastered on his face, subtly telling her he could do this all day until she broke down. As he opened his mouth for another jab, Tori threw herself at him.

Leanne rushed over, helping Kelly pry Tori and Hunter apart. Thankfully, Dustin chose that moment to walk into work. When he saw two of his Rangers fighting he quickly jumped in, helping Kelly restrain Hunter. It was obvious both Rangers were ready to fight.

"Dudes," Dustin called, placing himself between the two ninjas while at the same time sticking closer to Hunter, keeping one hand just under his throat so Hunter wouldn't be tempted to lunge forward again. Kelly had one of her hands on his chest, pushing him back while her other hand was holding his. He was squeezing her hand slightly in his rage, but Kelly would rather that then another fight in her store. Over on the other side, Leanne was holding Tori by the arms, half hugging her for comfort, half restraining her.

He looked from Hunter to Tori, "What is this?"

"Ask the slut," Hunter hissed. Dustin glared at Hunter. He didn't care how close he was with the eldest Bradley, _no one_ talked like that about his best friend.

"Like you know anything about what happened," Tori said.

Hunter pointed to Leanne, "Blake heard it from your _sister!_" he said. "Leanne wouldn't lie about something like this to Blake! Right Leanne?"

All eyes turned to Leanne. The red head slowly let go of Tori and dropped her head in shame.

"What?" Tori growled, eyeing the older woman hatefully. "You started this lie?"

Leanne shrugged, "It was a joke, I didn't know…"

Tori shoved the Thunder Ninja into the wall before storming off upstairs. Hunter looked at his sister.

"You mean this was all just a lie?" he asked.

Leanne nodded, "I feel terrible."

"You feel terrible?" Hunter frowned. "I'm the one who called her a whore!"

Kelly looked at her sister, "This is why I wanted you to talk to her," she said. "Now she's going to think you messed this up for fun."

"What's going on?" Dustin asked. He still had no idea why his two friends were fighting, and he was pretty sure it wasn't because he hadn't clued in on vital information. There was something to this story that he hadn't heard yet.

Hunter growled as he glared at his sister, "Apparently Leanne feels the need to destroy relationships."

"What?" Dustin frowned. He looked at Leanne. Maybe she could explain it better.

"Kelly and I were talking," Leanne sighed. "When you guys were gone camping Drew came into the store and tried to make a move on Tori. She refused his advances. He forced himself on her and Tori beat the living shit out of him for it."

"Wait, Drew tried to make out with Tori and she actually beat him up for it?" Hunter asked. He was starting to feel worse now. Not only was he wrong about Tori, but he had the wrong story entirely. Tori hadn't made out with some guy, some guy made out with her and she kicked his ass because of it.

"Yeah," Leanne nodded. "When Blake walked in, he only heard half of the conversation. I didn't know Tori and Blake were dating, so I made a joke about Tori making out with Drew. You know what happened next."

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't really blame Leanne for the joke. Until last night he had no idea his little brother had gone on a date with the only female Ranger on the team, never mind that he had the rights to call her his girlfriend.

However, he was mad at Leanne for not coming clean right away. It was obvious from her behaviour and from the way he noticed Kelly was staring at her that Leanne knew this joke had gone too far for a while now and yet, instead of clearing the air when he and Tori were going at it, she stood on the sidelines, trying not to be noticed.

"That's low, Anna," he told her.

"I didn't mean it. I would have told the truth but you didn't see the way Tori annihilated Drew! I fear for my life."

"Well, uh, dude, she knows now anyway," Dustin pointed out. "I don't think you can protect yourself anymore. You might as well come clean."

Kelly shook her head, "She's not going to listen to Leanne anymore. She won't listen to any of us."

"Can I offer a suggestion?" a customer asked. He had been standing in front of the counter for about five minutes now, waiting for service. He had seen that all the store employees were a little occupied and at first was annoyed by the service, but when he listened to the story he found himself captivated. He forgot for a moment that he was simply just a customer and wasn't exactly entitled to offer any advice.

Kelly and the rest of her employees jumped at the sound of his voice and turned around. Hunter looked up at the clock, realising the store had been open for five minutes and everyone had had their backs turned.

"I am so sorry," Kelly apologised. The customer shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. I kinda lost focus too… but if I could… I couldn't help but over hear the situation. Maybe you should talk to the boyfriend?"

He looked at Leanne as he said this. From what he collected from the conversation he knew the boyfriend wasn't in the store yet. It seemed if the girlfriend wasn't going to listen to anyone, the best option, at least in his eyes, was to clear the air with the boyfriend. Set things straight before it all went to hell on his end of the relationship. There was still something there that could be salvaged, unlike on Tori's end.

"I highly doubt you're in a position to preach to me," Leanne snapped at the customer. "You don't know what we're talking about."

"He is right though," Kelly told her sister. "When Blake gets in here you're going to talk to him."

Leanne nodded, realising her sister was right. She had already messed this up enough. All her friends were mad at her. What did it matter if she lost another?

Kelly rang up the customer's purchase, offering him the employee discount to make up for the terrible service before he took off. Just as he opened the door to let himself out Blake walked right in. The customer held the door open for him before leaving.

Blake walked up to Kelly and sighed, "Kel, I'm not really in the mood to…"

"I know," Kelly nodded, assuming Blake was going to tell her he wasn't in the mood to work. Blake looked at her, curious. She wasn't supposed to know anything. Kelly shrugged, "You seem down."

"Yeah. Do you mind if I don't work."

"I do," Kelly nodded. "So suck it up and go talk with Leanne."

"What?"

"I have customers to deal with," Kelly said. The store was empty, but soon it would fill up. "Talk to Leanne about the shift."

Leanne looked up when she heard her name and saw Kelly talking with Blake. Suddenly, he little brother started making his way over. She took a deep breath. Before he could get too close she grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the couch.

"We need to talk," she said.

"I know women know everything, but cut it out," Blake frowned. This was getting to be a little freaky.

"Actually, we know what's going on," Leanne explained. "With you and Tori."

"Did Tori bend the truth for you?" Blake snapped. Leanne shook her head.

"No…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Blake, positive," Leanne nodded.

"You trust your friend more than you trust me? We've known each other for ten years, Leanne!"

"I know! I know… but it's not like that, Blake. I know Tori's telling the truth because I'm the one who lied."

Blake looked at his sister in utter shock. His jaw was hanging and his eyes were wide. He couldn't find the words to express the betrayal and anger he felt. He simply stared at her, waiting for her to explain.

"Blake, I'm really sorry. When I told you Tori was making out with Drew it was a joke! I had no idea you guys were dating and I didn't think you would take me seriously. If I knew the truth, or if I thought you would think I was serious, I never would have made the joke."

Blake still didn't say anything, leaving Leanne feeling a little uncomfortable. She shifted slightly in her seat.

"Blake… say something. Anything. Be mad, yell… punch me if you wanted just don't… do nothing."

There was nothing but silence from Blake. Leanne groaned in frustration.

"I'm really sorry. I would never do anything to hurt you and Tori. I didn't even know it was a joke until Tori told me about it last night. Kelly and I were just being sisters together when you came in and it kinda just… I'm really, really, really sorry, Blake!"

Still ignoring his sister, Blake got up and walked to the backroom. Leanne couldn't see from where she was sitting, but she hoped Blake was going upstairs to talk to Tori and make things better. She felt terrible for the part she played in their argument, and never wanted to come between them, especially accidentally and to this degree. She dropped, face-down, into the pillow and pressed her head against it as she screamed.

Kelly could see her sister from the cash and sighed. She looked over at Hunter. While the store wasn't busy she figured she could leave her spot before she really grew roots.

"Cover for me for a second," she said. Hunter nodded. He understood she had to leave. Leanne was his sister as well, and though he was angry at her, he knew she hadn't done this on purpose. He handed Kelly her crutches and took over behind the cash for the moment.

Kelly limped over to the couches and sat down beside her sister.

"At least you came clean," she said softly. Leanne rolled over.

"Yeah, now my brothers hate me, Tori wants me dead and you're not very happy either."

"I'm not happy, no, but I'm not mad."

"You're not mad?" Leanne asked. "You threatened to kick me out of the family! You knew this was all an accident and you still turned me into the bad guy."

"You needed to talk to her," Kelly said, defending her actions. "You lied to her face!"

"Look, I get it, okay," Leanne said. "You've known Tori for two years now. She's your other little sister and your best friend. I can understand that. And if I had intentionally sabotaged her relationship with Blake I would also understand you getting pissed off at me. But you chose Tori over me!"

"She was hurt!"

"You don't think I was?"

"You're overreacting, Leanne."

"I'm your sister, Kelly. Like it or not, we're stuck together. I thought you've come to accept that."

"I have!"

"Then why is it I bust my ass for you every day, risk legal action against me and save you from Drew every day, and the moment you have the chance, you choose to side against me and make me look like a bitch."

"I didn't…"

"You didn't do anything when I told Tori the truth. You didn't try to talk her down and you didn't try to explain, you just turned to me and gave me the '_I told you so' _speech." Leanne got up, "I know what I did was wrong, and I know I should have come clean last night as soon as I realised I made the mistake, but seriously, Kelly… I just… it…"

Leanne let out a frustrated groan before storming off. Kelly leaned against the couch, feeling defeated.


	46. Thunder Academy

Blake walked across the floor of Kelly's loft, looking around carefully for Tori. Now that he knew the truth he wanted to see if he could win her back. He had made some pretty strong accusations against her and believed the worst of her, all because of Leanne, and he wouldn't be surprised if Tori hated him.

He knew her bed was on the couch so he tried looking there first. Thankfully for him, his search ended there. Tori was sitting on the couch, curled up with the blanket, just staring into space. But when she saw Blake, she jumped. A smile appeared on her lips for a moment before it fell. Blake couldn't tell if she was happy or not, but he needed to talk to her.

"Leanne told me everything," he whispered. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."

To his surprise, Tori moved in closer, "I should have told you what happened right away."

Blake looked at her. There was a story he didn't know about? When Leanne had told him the truth, he thought she had just made something up for shits and giggles. He pulled away from Tori a bit.

Tori sensed this and pulled away as well, but she took his hand.

"I did kiss Drew… but it wasn't willingly."

Blake's eyes narrowed as he glared at her, "What? How do you kiss someone accidentally?"

"He came into the store looking for Kelly. When we told him she was away he started flirting with me. I turned him down but I guess no one says no to Drew. He pulled me in for a kiss and as soon as I could I pushed him away."

"As soon as you could?' Blake asked, not happy with that statement. "Not right away? As soon as you could?"

"He's a big man! A strong, big man! Those first seconds I was completely surprised and he was holding me tight. When I got over the shock, I punched him."

"You punched him?" Blake chuckled slightly as he heard this. He had been on the receiving end of Tori's punches. They hurt.

"Leanne said I kicked his ass," Tori nodded. "She saw the whole thing. For the rest of the day she was afraid to come near me, jokingly of course, because she saw what state I left Drew in when he ran out of here crying."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Blake's lips. If this story was true, then he had no problems with Tori. Maybe a few problems with Drew, but he could trust Tori again.

"So, you're telling me the truth?" he asked.

"Why would I lie about Drew trying to kiss me?"

Blake smiled, "Good point. I guess if I was a girl and I knew what he did to Kelly, I would find him very disgusting."

"I'd rather kiss Lothor," Tori nodded. She turned to Blake quickly, "Not that I would. I'd die before I kissed either scumbag, but if I had no other choice and couldn't die, I'd kiss Lothor."

Blake pulled her in closer, "So what does this mean?" he asked, "For us? Are we okay?"

"I'm willing to call off my half of the break-up," Tori nodded. Blake smiled as he pulled her in for a kiss.

-Storm-Chargers-

Kelly was finding work to be rather annoying. She was supposed to be fully staffed today, but with Leanne's joke causing tension she lost half of her workers for the day.

Her manager, Tori, had run off upstairs after hearing Leanne was the one to start up all the trouble. Kelly really couldn't blame her young friend for leaving and figured it best if Tori stayed away from the public eye for a while so she could calm down.

Her business partner and sister, Leanne, had also run off in tears, and Kelly didn't fully understand why. She couldn't chase after Leanne with her ankle, and the store needed at least one person in charge. She hoped Leanne would come back so they could talk privately.

Blake had never even punched in for work. As soon as he arrived, the truth had come out and he went upstairs. Kelly could only hope he and Tori were making up.

Hunter was due for his lunch break any minute now, and he wanted to use the time to apologize to Tori. Before Leanne came clean he had said some pretty hurtful things to her. Truth be told, he was never very fond of her. She had been stealing his little brother away from him since the minute they all met. He didn't hate her, and considered her a trustworthy friend, but he would never go out of his way to hang out with her.

However, after hearing about what happened with Drew, he found a new respect for her. Not only had she remained faithful to Blake, but when someone tried to steer her in the wrong direction she kicked his ass for it. Hunter knew there were other motives for the ass-kicking Drew received, but that didn't take away from the fact that Tori was definitely the right girl for his brother.

He punched out in the backroom and quickly rushed to the front, "Kel, I'll be upstairs."

"What?" Kelly asked, turning to Hunter, "You can't leave me! You're my feet!"

"Thirty minutes, I promise," he smiled at her before disappearing. Kelly grumbled.

"No more relationships. From now on, when I hire co-workers, they aren't allowed to like each other."

Dustin dragged himself over to Kelly, wiping his forehead with his dirty rag, "Dude, I'm beat!"

"You wouldn't mind covering for Hunter while he takes his lunch, will you?" Kelly asked her friend. "I'm immobile and you know customers need help in the store."

Dustin looked out at the crowd of people, all searching through the clothes racks or trying on the equipment. He groaned loudly as he turned back to his boss.

"Do I have too?"

"It would really help me out," Kelly smiled.

Dustin tossed his rag into the bucket behind the counter and grumbled, "You know, I'm starting to think you're worse than Sensei."

"How so?" Kelly asked.

"I run ten miles with Sensei every training class and yet I'm never as tired as I am when I'm done working for you."

"Maybe I'll give Sensei some workout tips for you Ninjas then," Kelly smirked. Dustin shook his head.

"No, no, that's okay. I'll go help that little old lady."

Kelly smiled at Dustin as he ran off to help the number of customers in the store before helping the one that had come up to pay for his items of clothing. Kelly had to reach over to grab the scanning gun from the other side of the counter, where Hunter had foolishly left it when Kelly went to sit for five minutes. It was just out of reach and Kelly didn't want to use her crutches again. Just as she decided to hop, Blake came out from the backroom and handed her the gun.

"I'll cover for my bro," he said. Kelly sighed in relief.

"Thank you," she rang up the customers purchase and sent him on his way before turning back to Blake. "So, did you talk with Tori?"

"Yeah, and we're good," Blake nodded. "It was all just a misunderstanding. Why didn't you come clean earlier?"

"You mean Leanne?" Kelly frowned. Blake shrugged.

"Either of you. You both knew about the joke. Why didn't you tell Tori?"

"It wasn't my place," Kelly said. "Leanne said the joke."

"But you were both there… Look, it doesn't matter. What's done is done."

Kelly placed her hands on her hips. She turned around, leaning against the cash, "It does matter. Are you saying this is partly my fault?"

"Kel, I don't want to start anything. I'm just saying. You both kinda told me about the kiss. The words just came out of Leanne's mouth. You could have told Tori the truth last night and maybe avoided this whole pissed off at Leanne thing. But it doesn't matter anymore. We can't change what happened."

Dustin suddenly rushed over to Kelly, handing her his morpher, "Dude, its Cam. He said it was an emergency."

Kelly groaned, "Fine, whatever. Rangers to the rescue, right?"

Blake frowned, tapping his morpher slightly, "I didn't hear mine go off."

"It's not a Ranger thing, it's a Kelly thing."

"I have a thing?"

"I mean, it's personal," Dustin said. He shoved his morpher in Kelly's hands, "Here."

Kelly fumbled around with the morpher. She had never actually needed to use one. She was used to the little communicator that she used to talk to her friends if ever she was in an emergency. She finally found the button that allowed her to reach Cam.

"_Kelly?"_

"Yeah, what?"

"_Leanne was just here. She seemed pretty upset."_

"Yeah, she stormed out of here a little while ago."

"_What did you say to her?"_

Kelly frowned. She didn't like this accusing game, "Me? I didn't say anything to her. She just overreacted to something and…"

"_Before she left she said coming here was a mistake. She said something about putting this all to an end."_

Kelly and Blake exchanged worried glances. Dustin scratched the back of his neck.

"Dude, that sounds like suicide."

"_I'm worried about her, Kelly. I've been tracking her position, but it disappeared a few minutes ago. While I try to get it back, maybe you can try to find her."_

"Where was she last seen?" Kelly asked.

"_Thunder Ninja Academy."_

"Do you know where that is?" Blake asked his boss. Kelly nodded. She had been there a while ago when she went with Leanne to collect her sister's stuff. She still remembered where it was.

"_Take Dustin's morpher with you_," Cam told her. _"It communicates with Ninja Ops better than your communicator does."_

Kelly nodded and quickly took off, forgetting about her crutches or the pain in her ankle. She needed to find her sister.

-Storm-Chargers-

The Thunder Ninja Academy looks as depressing as it had the first time Kelly came by to visit. After Lothor attacked it and kidnapped all the Ninjas, as well as Leanne's father, there was no one around to take care and restore the building or the Academy grounds.

Only the foundation of the Ninja Academy was still left. Everything else had been destroyed. There were small chunks of debris scattered on the grounds everywhere. By now, some of the plants and the grass had grown enough to begin covering the debris. The metal had rusted from the rain and the wood was all covered in bugs. Kelly was careful not to step on anything sharp, or fall and hurt herself again.

The Academy was huge, and if Leanne was still here it would take hours to find her. Kelly pulled Dustin's morpher from her pocket and sighed.

"I'm at the Academy, Cam, but I don't see any sign of Leanne."

"_Her signal disappeared just a few feet north of where you're standing,"_ Cam said. Kelly walked north a few paces. When she took her last step, her foot made a thump. She frowned and kicked the ground with her good foot, recreating the hollow thumping noise.

"I think I found something," she told Cam as she stared down at a wooden plank. The dust and plants around it seemed to be disturbed. Someone had been here recently. Hopefully it had been Leanne.

On one end of the plank was a rope. Kelly grabbed it and began to pull. Just like at the Wind Ninja Academy, a trapdoor opened up, leading to an underground hide out.

"Do all Ninja Schools have this?" she muttered to herself. As she climbed in and walked down the steps, Cam's voice came over the morpher.

"_Kelly, I'm losing your signal, are you okay?"_

Kelly rushed back up a few steps, "Yeah. I just found a Ninja Ops. Leanne might be down here."

"_Don't stay there for too long,"_ Cam told her. _"Once you're inside, I can't track you."_

"I'll be quick," Kelly said. She pocketed Dustin's morpher and ran downstairs. The Ninja Ops was designed just like the one at the other Academy. The only difference was that this one was total disaster. The support beams were broken, the table was snapped in half and the cushions had been torn to shreds. Over by the bookcase, scrolls and books had been ripped from their shelves and thrown around carelessly. One bookshelf had even been pushed over.

The only thing left intact was a scroll on the ground. Kelly reached down to pick it up. She was careful when she opened it. She knew some scrolls turned into portals and didn't feel like taking a Ninja vacation.

Thankfully for her, this one didn't turn into a portal. It did, however, look burned out. Kelly had never seen anything like this. There was no writing on the scroll; instead there was this big, circle in the middle of it.

Kelly ran back to the top of the steps, "Cam, are you there?"

"_What is it, Kelly?"_

"I found a scroll."

"_Hold the morpher over it."_

Kelly frowned but did as she was told. Suddenly there was a light from the morpher that began to scan the scroll.

"_I got it,_" she heard Cam say. _"It's a travel scroll."_

"A travel scroll?"

"_One of the two scrolls that allow us to move through time and space," _Cam explained. _"Here at the Wind Ninja Academy we have the scroll of time. The Thunders have the travel scroll."_

"Let me guess, it saves you airfare?"

"_If it's abused, yes. It takes you to wherever you want to go. But someone's used it. The scroll needs time to regenerate its powers."_

"How long does that take?"

"_A few days, maybe a few weeks."_

"Does that mean Leanne's used it?" Kelly asked.

"_Every ninja in the world is trapped up on Lothor's ship. Unless one of the guys used it to get to work or training on time, then that's the only possibility."_

"Leanne said that the Ninjas in Nepal were still here on earth. Could one of them have come here?"

"_Highly unlikely. Students in Nepal never leave the Academy until their training is complete. Leanne's the sole exception."_

Kelly sunk down on the steps, "So, that means Leanne's gone already?"

"_Let's just hope she knows her way back,"_ Cam said. _"Unlike the scroll of time, there is no way home. It's a one way ticket to your destination."_

Kelly dropped the scroll on the ground, "I don't thinks he wants to come home, Cam. You heard her; she said coming here was a mistake."

"_She wouldn't run away from her family, Kel."_

Suddenly, Kelly heard a thump from right above her. She jumped to her feet and pushed open the trapdoor, clutching the morpher carefully in her fist. She crawled out and looked around.

Just on the other side of the trapdoor, Kelly found Leanne lying in the dirt. She dropped beside her sister, rolling her onto her back.

"Leanne?" she called, trying to wake her sister.

"_Kelly! Leanne's signal just appeared again!"_

"So did she," Kelly nodded. She examined her sister, who seemed to be beat up pretty badly. Her Ninja uniform was torn up, and there were several superficial scars on her body and a couple of gashes. The worst of it seemed to be the bruising. Most were bigger that Kelly's fist.

When Kelly's eyes fell on Leanne's hand she noticed her sister was holding a bottle. As she pulled it out of her grasp, Leanne started to stir.

"Don't," Kelly told her.

"Ninja student pods," Leanne whispered weakly. "All of them but one."

Kelly put the morpher to her mouth, "Cam, Leanne's got the captured Ninjas. They're in a bottle."

"_Don't open the bottle. Bring it back here."_

"She says she got all but one."

"_We'll take care of that later. Are you guys okay to come back?"_

Kelly shook her head. There was no way she could get Leanne back to Ninja Ops, never mind bring her home when she had a sprained ankle already.

"No."

"_I'll come get you guys,"_ Cam said. Kelly put the morpher down beside the bottle and looked at her sister.

"Why did you go?" she asked. Leanne didn't respond. Her eyes were shut. Kelly turned back to the bottle, picking it up. She examined it carefully; a little curious about what would happen if she pulled the lid off. How could every ninja on the planet fit into a single bottle?

She also wondered about the one ninja who wasn't rescued. Why didn't he get rescued?

As Kelly set the bottle back down she noticed something shining in her sister's other hand. She reached over and pulled out a broken chain. In the middle of the chain was a tag. On the back there was writing: _World's Best Dad_.

Kelly looked down at her sister, "Leanne…"


	47. Leanne's Reason

Not too long before the store needed to close the Rangers all got a call from Cam on their morphers, telling them to rush over to Ninja Ops. He never stated it was an emergency but his voice had sounded urgent. Dustin and Blake closed up the shop while Tori pulled Shane away from the TV. The man was useless when he was watching himself skate to try and improve his performance. Hunter had grabbed Kelly's crutches from the side wall, still curious as to why she would run off without them.

Tori parked her van in the forest, just outside the entrance to the Academy. The Rangers walked in slowly, not wanting to fall into the lake and get wet. When they passed the waterfall they were amazed to see hundreds, maybe thousands, of Ninjas from so many different schools walking around. Some were resting, others were training.

"Where did they all come from?" Dustin asked, looking at his four friends. Shane shrugged, grabbing Dustin's arm so he wouldn't lose him in the crowd.

"Let's just get to Ops."

Hunter held the crutches up, parting the sea of Ninjas so he could get through easily.

"I am a highly trained crutch master," he warned the wave of Ninjas. "Don't make me use these."

The five Rangers arrived at the trapdoor and made their way inside. They saw Leanne lying on a cot that had been set up for her and Cam was checking up on Kelly's ankle. After having put weight on it and using it, he wanted to make sure she didn't reinjure herself.

Blake ran over to his sister when he noticed she was hurt. He was still mad at her, but he wasn't going to let something like that keep him from making sure she was okay. His heart began to race when he saw her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. Tori walked up behind him. She placed her hand right above Leanne's mouth, feeling her breathe.

"She's alive," she assured her boyfriend. Blake dropped beside her, taking her hand.

Hunter approached Kelly, offering her crutches, "Next time you run off, take these," he smiled.

Kelly thanked him as she took them and laid them on the table beside her. Cam tapped her leg gently.

"Everything seems okay."

"I could have told you that," Kelly said. She picked up the ice pack that was placed on the floor and put it on her ankle.

Shane looked around Ninja Ops. Something felt very weird. Kelly was here without him or his other friends, Leanne was recovering and all the kidnapped Ninjas were having a get together in his front yard.

"So, can we know what's going on?" he asked Cam and Kelly.

"We don't really know," Cam shrugged. "All we can tell you is that Leanne went up to Lothor's ship and rescued the ninjas."

"All but one," Kelly added, playing with the broken chain she had found in her sister's hand.

"Why would she go up there alone?" Tori frowned. "That's like… suicide."

Blake got back to his feet and walked over to Hunter, tapping him on the arm.

"Bro, if she got the Ninjas then Sensei Omino must be back!"

"Good luck finding him," Cam said.

"There are roughly 10 563 ninjas out there," Kelly nodded. "Even if he is back, you're not going to find him unless he wants to be found."

"Sensei gave us our morphers," Hunter said. "He knows we're trying to save him and the other students."

"And he probably knows Leanne's the one who saved him!" Blake added. "The ninjas were trapped in pods. They could still see what was going on outside the pods, they just couldn't get out. If Leanne rescued them, that means she got close enough to the control panel. He's come find us! He'd come find her!"

"All I know is I haven't seen him, yet," Cam sighed. "When we freed the captured Ninjas we asked all the Sensei's to step forward. Sensei Omino was the only one who hadn't."

Kelly got to her feet. She was a little wobbly considering she was still ignoring her crutches. Hunter extended his hand out, helping her balance. She placed the chain in his open hand.

"I found this with Leanne," she told the Crimson Ranger. "Do you know what it is?"

Hunter held up the chain and looked at Blake. Both boys seemed to become a little more upset.

"It's Sensei's necklace," Blake said. "Leanne gave it to him for Father's day before he took Hunter and I in. He's never taken it off."

Behind Tori and Blake, Leanne began to stir again. Slowly, she sat up, holding her head. Cam came over with a glass of water. He offered it to her while the others watched.

Hunter walked over with Kelly and the two knelt down beside their sister. Kelly smiled.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Leanne looked at her for a moment before turning away.

"It doesn't matter."

"You went up on Lothor's ship alone." Hunter said firmly. Leanne turned to him nervously, nodding her head. Hunter growled. "Do you know how stupid that was? You could have been killed!"

"Well, I'm fine," Leanne snapped. She threw off the blankets and tried to stand. Cam quickly caught her, keeping her steady. Hunter rushed around after handing Kelly off to Dustin. He grabbed Leanne's arm roughly and pulled her.

"You're not fine," he said, trying not to shout. "Look at you! You can barely stand without help."

"Hunter, let her go," Tori told him. Like Blake, she was still mad at Leanne, but she knew she had to push those feelings aside. Even if she hated Leanne, she never wanted anything bad to happen to her.

Hunter loosened his grip on her but never let go. He glared at her.

"Why did you do it?" he asked.

Leanne looked up at him, "I want to go home."

"You are home," Kelly told her sister. Leanne ignored her.

"I want my father back and I want to go home, back to my real family."

"We are your family," Hunter said. Leanne shook her head.

"No, you're not," she said. "You and Blake are family. Cam and Sensei Watanabe are family. Kelly, Tori and the boys are family. I'm just the half-foster-sister-friend who dropped by unannounced, turned all your lives upside down and messed everything up!"

"The what?" Hunter frowned.

"I'm going to save my father and then I'll be out of your hairs. You can all be one happy family and you can forget about me," Leanne shouted before trying to run off. Kelly quickly grabbed her arm, almost throwing herself off balance. Leanne tried pulling away for a moment before realising Kelly wasn't going to let go. She turned around and screamed, "What?"

"You can't just leave."

"I get it, Kel," she said. "Aside from mom dying you had the perfect family. Then I show up, mess up that perfect portrait. I know it's hard to accept, but I thought that by now…"

"Why do you think I haven't accepted that," Kelly asked. "You're my sister. I know that. I love that!"

"You don't show it," Leanne scoffed. Kelly frowned.

"I took you in!" she shouted. "I gave you my bed…"

"Only after your real sister forced you to be nice to me!" Leanne screamed, pointing to Tori. "You only listen to her, or the guys, you take their side! I saved your life, I looked out for you and I took care of you because you're my sister! And I get no thanks, no recognition; just the _I told you so_ speech and a dirty look."

"Leanne…"

"I know I messed up," Leanne said. "I know I should have tried to fix things before you all hated each other, but I did what I could. And I know mom messed up, Kel. But it's _Mom_ who messed up, not me. She's the one who slept cheated on your father and slept with mine. But you know what; I can hate you just as much as you hate me. My mother left me for you. She chose you over me. She chose your family over mine. I'm just tired of always coming in last everywhere I go. I want my father and I just want to leave!"

As Leanne stormed off Kelly called her name. The younger red head turned around swiftly, glaring hatefully at her sister. Kelly wobbled over to her.

"The one Ninja… it's your father, isn't it?"

Leanne scoffed, "Go away, Kel."

Kelly took a deep breath before turning around and looking at Hunter. She pointed at her crutches. Thinking she was going to run to her sister, he handed them both over. Kelly only took the one and tossed it to Leanne, hitting her in the back.

"I guess you also tried your hand at javelin?" Hunter winced as he watched Leanne stumble over. Kelly used her second crutch to walked over to her sister, looking down at her.

"I'm not letting you go back up there alone," she growled. Leanne pushed herself back up. She was already in pain from the attack; she didn't need someone spearing her in the back.

"Go away."

"I'm sorry I threatened to disown you," Kelly said, quickly apologizing, hoping it would at least get her sister to listen. "If it helps, I was never going to cut you out of my life just because you weren't going to tell Tori the truth. I just got caught up…"

"Protecting your sister?"

"Protecting my friend," Kelly corrected. "You guys are all my family, but I know the difference between close friends and real family."

Leanne didn't say anything. She lowered her head. She thought about turning away, but she wanted to see if Kelly had anymore to say.

Kelly continued, "I know at first I hated you because of what mom did, and then when I got over that I didn't really like you, but I needed time to adjust. It was big news. And you've been patient. I've come around now, Leanne. I know you're my sister and I love you. Life would be weird without you."

Leanne looked up, "What?"

"Life would be weird without you," Kelly repeated. Leanne shook her head.

"No, before that."

"I love you?"

Leanne smiled. Kelly had never said that before.

She turned to the rest of her friends, "Guys, I'm really sorry…"

"Don't worry about that," Tori smiled to her, "Are you okay?"

Leanne nodded, "A little sore, but I'll be fine."

Shane leaned in and whispered to Dustin: "Dude, I'm totally lost. What happened between Kelly and Leanne?"

Dustin chuckled. Shane hadn't been there for the big fight. He had no idea there was any tension. It had all been resolved before he showed up at the store.

"Long story, dude."

"So, are we going to save Sensei now or what?" Blake smiled, looking around the room to see if anyone was on board with him.

Sensei Watanabe jumped onto Blake's shoulder, "I'm afraid we cannot do that just yet."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Blake frowned. "He's the only ninja left."

Sensei pointed to the computer. Cam rushed over.

"I'm getting a huge energy reading," he told the Rangers. Everyone gathered around the computer. Kelly gasped.

"That's right where the Action Games are being held," she said.

"You must go check it out, Rangers," Sensei instructed.

Dustin and Shane smirked, "Did Sensei just tell us to go to the Action Games as part of our Ranger duties?" Dustin asked. Shane nodded.

"Yeah, baby!"

"Don't forget to search for a giant evil energy while you're off winning tournaments," Tori reminded her friends.

Leanne looked at the Sensei, "What about my father?"

"We will rescue him, I promise, Leanne. However, for now, we must focus on the problem at hand."

Shane and Dustin high-fived, "Action Games, here we come!"


	48. Before the Games

With the U.S Action Games only a few hours away, the six Rangers, Kelly and Leanne were all meeting up at Storm Chargers so they could all go together. It was the easiest meeting place, considering everyone knew exactly where it was, and it was private enough so they could all talk before the games. Ninja Ops had been considered, but the boys all needed to get ready and pack up their gear, and it was easier to do in the store.

Because it was the day of the Games, Storm Chargers was closed. Kelly had a huge sale the night before to bring in customers and kept her store open late so they could pick up any last minute details. She, Leanne and Tori worked the entire day to give the boys some time to rest before the Games.

In the morning, Tori was helping Kelly get all the bags set up for the big day while Leanne sat on the couch, looking defeated. She wanted to be able to rescue her father, but Sensei had postponed that idea until after they could discover what the energy disturbance around the Action Games site was. Leanne wanted to go back on the ship and rescue him, but after what happened the last time she went off on her own she didn't want to risk it.

Shane and Dustin were jumping around in the backroom, unleashing their excitement. It was the same thing every year for them. They would be like kids on Halloween night after eating half their candy bag, or kids on Christmas morning in that quick moment when the presents were being opened, but before all the wrapping paper had come off. They were virtually useless at getting themselves ready and always needed a few minutes, or hours depending on their level of excitement, before they could do anything that didn't involve shrieking like a school girl.

Blake and Hunter walked through the doors with their bags from home. Blake and Hunter had already been at the track early in the morning. Only a few hours after discovering Leanne had freed the ninjas from Lothor's base, Blake got a call from Factory Blue and had arranged to ride for them before the Games. His test had been this morning, so he and Hunter already had most of their gear with them. It just needed to be cleaned quickly.

Shane and Dustin jumped out of the backroom and hopped over to the couches, joining the Bradley brothers and Leanne. He tapped Blake on the shoulder.

"Dude, didn't you test for Roger Hannah today?" he asked the Navy Ranger while Tori hurriedly joined then, but not before kissing her boyfriend, happy they were finally public.

"Hey, that's right," she smiled, "How did it go?"

"There was a photographer there from DirtWorks Magazine," Hunter grinned. He was so excited for his brother. "He says he hasn't seen anyone test that fast since McGrath in '91!"

There was a round of congratulations and fists bump from the boys, but that wasn't all the news Blake had. Dustin noticed the huge grin on his face, and suspected there was more to the story. With a grin, he pressed the subject.

"So, what's the deal?"

"Well, factory ride if I want it!" Blake smirked. Again, there was a round of congratulations from the boys. Blake looked over at Tori and saw a huge smile on her face. It was obvious she was very happy for him. When he looked away, Tori frowned for a moment. If Blake did become a Factory rider he would be touring the country for weeks, even months at a time. She would hardly see him. Not only that, but she knew what the athlete's life was like. Sports, girls and more girls.

"Why wouldn't you want it?" Dustin asked. Tori looked up, really interested in Blake's answer for this. She would at least hope he would consider her and their relationship before agreeing to commit himself to being a Factory rider. She would let him go off, either way; their relationship was still new and it would be unfair for her to force him to give up his dreams, but if he did consider her she would be a little more at ease when he was away with other girls.

Blake looked at Dustin, "Don't you think I'm a little busy around here? Have you forgotten Lothor?"

"Yeah, but how can you pass up an opportunity like that?" Shane asked his friend. Hunter nodded.

"That's what I told him."

Tori got up from the couch, "Yeah, we could always find a new Navy Ranger," she said. "This is your dream job, Blake. Don't worry about _Lothor_. Just go for it."

Kelly arrived to hear that last statement from Tori before the blue Ranger rushed off. She quickly put the pieces together: Blake and dream job, emphasis on Lothor, and Tori's snappy orders to just go for it.

"Way to piss her off," Kelly commented as she stole the surfer's spot. Blake frowned.

"What?"

"Dude, she's not pissed," Dustin said, waving Kelly's idea off. Kelly looked at him in a knowing manner, and even Leanne lifted her head.

"She's definitely pissed off," the younger red head nodded.

Blake shook his head, "Are you sure?"

Kelly and Leanne exchanged looks. Men knew nothing when it came to women and their emotions, especially if they were in a relationship with that woman.

"She's not still sitting here, is she?" Kelly pointed out. "And she's got nothing else to do. The bags are packed, the equipment is loaded into the van, water bottles are filled… where would she go?"

Blake sighed heavily as he got out of his seat, "I'll go talk to her."

"Good idea," Kelly nodded.

When Blake left to talk to his girlfriend, Hunter decided it would be a good idea to talk to Kelly about their sister. He handed off his bag to Leanne and asked her if she could put it in the van. Leanne did so and as she left, Hunter asked Kelly if they could talk.

Dustin and Shane both smirked as they jumped up from the couches.

"Oh, we'll just be going somewhere else then," Shane said as he and Dustin headed for the backroom. "We'll let you love birds commence with the kissing and loving."

Kelly glared at her friends until their disappeared behind the close door. Hunter grabbed her arm.

"Um, I don't want to talk about that," he said. "I mean… maybe later… so we know where we stand and all before this gets too complicated but…"

"Spit it out, Bradley," Kelly laughed.

"It's about Leanne," he said. "I'm worried about her. She hasn't been herself since she went to rescue the ninjas."

"Her father's up on the alien spacecraft thingy," Kelly shrugged. "If it were my dad, I wouldn't be very happy either."

"I guess you have a point," Hunter sighed. "It's just… I've never really seen her so down. Her father's the only family she's ever had. I'm sure she misses him."

"I'm sure she does," Kelly nodded. "But we'll get him back soon, right? Sensei Guinea Pig promised her you guys would rescue him, right? He wouldn't wait too long before sending you all out."

"I just want to make sure she's okay," Hunter said. "She's fine with you?"

"She's my sister, Hunter," Kelly said. "I'm going to take care of her; no matter what she thinks."

"Has she talked to you more about quitting in Nepal?" Hunter asked, bringing up a topic Kelly hadn't even thought about in weeks. The issue with Leanne quitting school arose shortly before the whole mess with Drew and that had kept everyone busy. Leanne hadn't mentioned anything, nor had Kelly even thought about what she would do when the time came.

She shook her head, "Not a word," there was a moment of silence between the two before Kelly looked up again. "Do you really think Nepal is the best place for her?"

"Leanne's one of the best Ninjas to ever graduate at the Thunder Ninja Academy. She's been fighting since she could walk. Nepal's a great opportunity for her."

"It's just… I'll miss her," Kelly said. "I don't want her to leave."

"She'll come back."

"Yeah, in a few years. Cam told me the ninjas there don't leave."

"Are you afraid she's going to find another sister?" Hunter chuckled. Kelly looked up at him sadly.

"I've known her for a few months and it's not like I've been jumping through hoops for her at all. She was right. All the things she's done for me, all the effort she's put into this relationship, and I side with Tori."

"Hey, I would do the same for Blake," Hunter said. He scooted over on the couch and wrapped his arm comfortingly around Kelly's shoulders. "If I met my real family again, that wouldn't change anything between me and Blake. I wouldn't just dump him because someone I barely know is related to me by blood. I know it's not exactly the same, but you and Tori and Shane and Dustin are a family, just like me and Blake. Anna's got to get used to that."

"Are you saying I should kick her to the curb?"

"I'm trying to tell you not to be so hard on yourself," Hunter said. "If I weren't madly in love with you, I would love to have you as my sister. Leanne's lucky and she knows it. She's just… not in the right place right now."

Kelly didn't hear the last part of that statement at all. She looked at Hunter and smiled before grabbing his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss. Hunter didn't protest, but he was a little surprised, especially when Kelly deepened the kiss.

Dustin came back from the storage room and caught his boss and friend in the moment. He shielded his eyes and was thrown back, almost like someone punched him in the stomach.

"It's disgusting!" he shouted. "My boss and sister is behind devoured by one of my best friends!"

"Yo, Cam just called; it's almost time to lea- WHOA! My eyes!" Shane shouted, falling to the floor a lot like Dustin had. He crawled back until he hit the wall with his back, staring at the two lovers.

Kelly pulled away from Hunter and straightened herself out. She got to her feet with the help of her crutches. Hunter wiped his mouth as he looked up at her.

"Now we definitely need to talk about us," he said. Kelly smirked.

"We just did."

"What brought this on?" Dustin asked from the ground. He was afraid of getting up because his entire body was still in shock.

Kelly smiled as she looked at Hunter, "I love you too."

"La-la-la-la-la!" Shane shouted, plugging his ears as he got up and ran for the van, before this got anymore disgusting. Dustin was quick to follow.

"We'll go wait for Cam outside," he said.

Hunter pointed to the door, "I'll go wait with them. See how awkward this will get. You'll get the others?"

"Yeah. I'm sure Leanne's just waiting to come face to face with whatever alien is giving off that freaky evil energy thing. Have you ever thought of giving her a morpher?"

"Cam offered," Hunter nodded. "I think he just wanted to see her in spandex though. Did you know they hang out every-"

"Day? Yeah," Kelly finished for Hunter. "Whenever she comes back she says Cam has computer problems. I don't know the man as much as you guys, but I don't think a computer genius would need help fixing his computer every day."

Hunter smirked, "He doesn't."

-Storm-Chargers-

The Storm Chargers van pulled up right at the entrance of the U.S Action Games and the boys all jumped out, excited for their big day. Kelly crawled up, careful of her foot, and unlocked the back of the van.

She screamed over the noise of the many other extreme athletes who were excited for the day, "You guys better check in. I'll make sure your gear is okay!"

"I'll help," Leanne muttered.

"We'll check the place out for uh…"

"Let me guess, chicks?" Tori asked, interrupting Hunter while pointing a sharp glare at Blake. Hunter frowned, shaking his head.

"Not this time," he smirked. "I was going to say food. I'm hungry!"

"Speak for yourself, lover boy," Shane said. He pat Cam and Dustin on the chest, "You coming with me? I see a sea of babes."

"Sorry, I've already got someone," Cam smirked. Shane, Dustin, Tori and Blake turned to their green Ranger.

"Cyber Cam?" Blake asked. Cam chuckled.

"There's more to this geek than meets the eye."

"It looks like it's just you two," Blake said to Shane and Dustin. "You better both come home with girls."

"Once I win that first place trophy I'll have girls lining up!" Dustin smirked, rushing off into the crowd.

Blake turned to his girlfriend (at least, he hoped she was still his girlfriend).

"Want to help me get ready?" he asked her. "I can't win today without my good luck charm."

"You'll find another," Tori said before trying to take off. Blake grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"I told you, I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Yeah, but it's obvious why you're hesitating."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Yes, Blake, I do. I just thought… never mind. I'll go make sure Shane and Dustin actually sign in."

Blake ran his hand through his hair. Normally girls wouldn't shut up about how they were feeling. Now he couldn't get two words out of Tori.

Over by the van, Kelly and Leanne were grabbing the bags, making sure they had everything for the four boys participating in the Games, as well as the equipment Cam had brought along for those who would be looking out for signs of trouble. As Leanne slung one bag over her shoulder, she looked at Kelly.

"I'm sorry I'm in such a bad mood."

"Don't be," Kelly smiled. "You have a right. You're father is trapped up in space with the same man who's been trying to kill your friends for a year."

"Lothor knows he's my father," Leanne said. "He's pissed off that I managed to rescue all the ninjas and he took my father. He said he was going to make me pay."

"Why didn't you tell Sensei?"

"Sensei wouldn't have done anything differently," Leanne sighed.

"Okay… well what does Lothor plan on doing? All evil villains blurt out their evil schemes when they think their winning."

"Before I pass out I heard him say something about an Abyss of Evil," Leanne said. "But I don't know what that means, where it is, or what it does. I disappeared from the ship before I could hear anymore, passed out and landed somewhere in the dirt."

"Yeah, I caught that part," Kelly nodded. She touched her sister's shoulder, "Look, if the guys don't rescue your father soon… we'll figure something out."

Leanne looked at her sister's ankle, "You're not a ninja, never mind how weak and pathetic you'll be with that foot."

Kelly tossed the crutches into the van and stood on her foot, "I just walk around with them because the boys know I'll hit them with it. It keeps me in power."

"So, you've been faking it?" Leanne asked. Kelly nodded.

"Only for today. It's feeling fine and the swelling's gone down. I'm surprised Hunter didn't notice when we were kissing and his knee accidentally…"

"Whoa, stop right there!" Leanne said, screwing her eyes shut and trying to erase her own memory. "You're my sister and he's still my brother. I don't need to picture you guys… anywhere near each other."

When Leanne opened her eyes Kelly opened her mouth, as if she was going to speak. Leanne quickly shut her eyes again and plugged her ears.

"NO! Not a word from you! Yuck, yuck, yuck!"

"I kissed your brother!" Kelly giggled. Leanne pulled away from her sister.

"EW! Gross! He's yuck! You're yuck!"

"We swapped spit. Dustin said we were eating each other!"

"No more!" Leanne giggled, shoving her older sister. Kelly smiled.

"Aha! A smile and a laugh."

"Yeah, at the expense of my sanity. How am I supposed to live with that… image burned into my brain?"

"Get used to it," Kelly said. She picked up the bag of equipment. "C'mon, I think Shane's about to start. He'll need his gear."


	49. Storm Approaches

Kelly was thankful this year that she paid for a Storm Charger tent to be set up. While the boys were off doing their various activities, she could sit down under the tent, out of the harsh sun, and take some weight off her foot. It was feeling better, but standing for too long was still a problem, and there were very few chairs available in the park for her to take.

While the boys were out, Tori had taken Leanne to get some lunch for everyone. The girls were rather hungry, and the boys were always hungry. By the time they finished their initial tournaments or their warm-ups, the food would be on their plates.

Suddenly, Hunter and Cam rushed over to Kelly.

"Kel, are you okay?" Hunter asked. His clothes looked a little ruffled, as did Cam's. Kelly frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Marah and Kapri were just here with some Kalzacks," Cam explained. "We have no idea what they wanted."

Kelly hopped up from her seat and began looking around, "Have you guys seen Leanne?"

"No, why?" Hunter frowned, growing concern.

"Lothor has her father. I'm scared he might go after her next?"

Cam pointed to a field, just outside the Action Games grounds, "Marah and Kapri were looking for something over there. Call the others and we'll all check it out."

"You can call Leanne in the meantime," Hunter nodded. Kelly grabbed her communicator, getting all the Rangers on the line. Thankfully none of them were currently competing.

-Storm-Chargers-

The five Rangers, Leanne and Kelly stood of the top of a small incline looking over a field while Cam hopped down to investigate. He and Hunter had just been in a small battle against numerous Kalzacks while Marah and Kapri scanned this area. There had to be a connection between this and the evil energy he had been tracking.

After coming up empty he turned to his friends, "It must have all been a diversion," he sighed.

"Hey, what's wrong with your amulet?" Shane suddenly pointed out, aiming a look at Cam's samurai amulet. Cam looked down and noticed the amulet had frozen over completely. Something he had never seen it do. It had gotten hot before, but only once.

"What is it?" Tori asked.

"It's frozen," Cam answered.

"Frozen?" Dustin laughed. "Dude, it's like 80 degrees out here!"

"No kidding," Cam frowned, holding up the amulet to get a better look. "I better get back to ninja ops and do some tests on it there."

"Do you need anyone to come with you?" Leanne asked as Cam began to climb the small hill. Kelly and Hunter exchanged knowing looks as they smiled. Cam nodded.

"I might," he said.

As Leanne took off with Cam, the rest of the team looked at each other. Shane shrugged.

"No sense in letting this day go to waste. I'll go back to having some fun until I hear anything else," he said, grabbing his board from the safety railing and running off, with Dustin on his tail.

Hunter grabbed Kelly's arm, helping her climb the little bit of grass before they hit solid ground again. He wanted to make sure she didn't fall.

Blake turned to his girlfriend, "I have a race in half an hour; will you be there?"

"Probably," Tori nodded. Blake sighed heavily.

"Tor, I'm not a mind reader. If something is upsetting you can you please tell me? Whatever it is, I'm sure the answer will be either: I'm really sorry, I didn't think or I'm such a jerk."

Tori shrugged, "You're going to think it's stupid."

Blake grabbed her arms gently, "No. Whatever it is that's bothering you can't be stupid. You're my girlfriend and I want to make sure you're happy."

Tori sighed, "Are you going to tour with Factory Blue?"

"I'll have to think about it. I mean, with this thing with Lothor I can't exactly…" Blake trailed off when he saw Tori's head drop slowly. She was biting her lip and playing with her hands, an obvious sign she was upset. He thought for a moment, wondering what it was about his statement that could have possibly upset her.

Suddenly, it hit him, "Oh my god, Tor! I'm really sorry, I didn't even think about that! I'm such a jerk!"

"Wow, all three," Tori breathed. Blake placed his fingers under her chin, lifting it gently so he could look her in the eyes.

"Of course I was going to talk to you beforehand!" he told her. "I thought that went without saying! I would never leave if it made you uncomfortable."

Tori pushed him back, "I want you to go. No matter what, I want you to live out your dream. I was just hurt that… I guess I had nothing to worry about."

"I was definitely going to talk to you, Tor," Blake assured her. "You don't have to worry about that. You're one of the most important people in my life and I want to make sure it's okay with you."

"Of course it is," Tori nodded. "I would be a total bitch if I said you couldn't go. It's just… it's a girl thing. We like to know our boyfriends are thinking of us all the time."

"All the time?"

"Don't say otherwise," Tori said. "We know it's not reality, we just like to believe it."

Blake chuckled, "Got it. So does this mean I can expect to see you at the race later on?"

"Front row," Tori smiled. "I'll rush over from Dustin's competition."

Blake kissed his girlfriend, "Sweet. I'll see you then. Hunter and I need to warm up."

Blake only made it a few steps before his and Tori's morphers beeped. He regrouped with his girlfriend and brought his morpher to his ear.

"_Rangers, I'm sending the Zords to you. There's a big fish in a little pond you need to deal with."_

"On our way, Cam," Blake nodded.

-Storm-Chargers-

Once Hunter got the call from Cam he had to make sure he left Kelly somewhere safe. She was going to want to watch the battle, and it was probably best she know what happened in case things did go badly, but he didn't want to get her too close to the action.

Thankfully, near the battle site there was a small cave Kelly could hide in. It would allow her to see, but it would also protect her from falling debris. He left her there while he helped his friends against Vexacus.

Kelly bit her fingernails as she watched both in awe and in terror as the two Megazords came together to create what looked to be indestructible. The Megazord blocked the first attack sent by Vexacus, but was thrown off when he pulled out a sword and slashed three times across the chest. The Megazord spun before falling face first into the dirt. The ground trembled, and Kelly almost lost balance. Before she could lose her cool, though, the Megazord got back to its feet.

She shielded her eyes from the light as the Megazord fired several different energy beams at the overgrown fish. She prayed they were going to hit, but as soon as she heard the explosion happening on the wrong side of the field, she knew there was more trouble.

Just when Kelly opened her eyes, she saw Vexacus colliding into the Megazord, tearing it back into its original two Megazord form. Tori, Dustin and Shane fell to the left, while the brothers fell to the right. Both Megazords got back to their feet, but Hunter and Blake trudged forward with a sword, going after Vexacus on their own. Kelly shut her eyes, afraid for her boyfriend's life. She could already tell this fish was strong. It had taken out the five person Megazord; surely two would be no problem.

Suddenly there was a bright light and the ground began to shake. Kelly opened her eyes and noticed a dark cloud of energy sailing through the sky. She looked around for the Thunder's Megazord, but it was nowhere in sight. She looked up at the Wind's Megazord and it appeared to be shaking its head, looking in every direction.

"Blake?" she called, starting her way over to the wreckage. "Blake? Hunter?"

The Wind Rangers joined her quickly, running around in hopes of finding their friends.

"Blake!" Tori screamed, lifting every piece of debris she could. After a moment, Shane placed his hand on her shoulder. Tori powered down and sunk to her knees.

Dustin walked over to Kelly, supporting her on her left side. He could only assume she had run on the even ground and he was afraid she may have hurt her foot again without knowing. One thing he knew about injuries was that adrenaline kicked in when you got hurt and sometimes it kept you from feeling any pain.

Shane brought his wrist to his mouth, "Cam, Leanne, we've reached the Thunder Zord wreckage… it doesn't look good."

"Any sign of Hunter and Blake?" Tori asked desperately.

"_I'm getting infrared heat signatures in the area, but there's a lot of interference. I can't pin-point and exact location."_

"Keep trying to establish contact," Shane said, knowing the two women weren't going to be happy with his next decision, "We'll head back to Ninja ops and regroup."

"What?" Kelly asked, looking up at the Ranger leader like he was insane. "We're just going to leave?"

"Hunter and Blake can make it back," Dustin assured her. "If they survived this, they'll be fine."

"If not, there's no point wasting any time," Shane said, pulling Tori to her feet. "I've got a feeling Lothor's not done here yet."

-Storm-Chargers-

The three original Rangers and Kelly approached the trapdoor to their base, stopping before the entrance. Something had happened, they could tell. The trapdoor had been pulled off its hinges and placed back lazily.

Dustin kicked it aside and helped his friends inside.

"What happened?" he heard Shane asking before stepping in. Ninja Ops was ruined. The walls were caving in, the furniture was completely destroyed, the computer was almost completely fried and there were pieces of the rocky ceiling that had fallen down. The four stepped inside carefully.

"Cam?" Dustin called.

"Leanne?" Kelly called, hoping to hear her sister's voice.

"Sensei!" Tori tried. Hopefully someone was going to answer.

"Where are they?" Dustin frowned. Shane shrugged as he began looking around.

"They have to be here somewhere," he breathed.

"They'd have to be," Tori nodded, "if anyone can survive this, it's them."

"Dude!" Shane called for Dustin as he grabbed a wooden board. "Help me lift this!"

Dustin rushed over, helping his friend place the wooden board against the wall to clear it out of the way.

Shane grunted loudly as he lifted, "This can't be how it ends."

"Whoa," the four heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance and they all dropped what they were doing and turned. "What happened here?" Hunter asked.

"You guys made it!" Dustin smiled as Tori and Kelly both rushed over, hugging their boyfriends. "I thought you'd be toast for sure."

"Vexacus torched the Thunder Megazord," Blake explained. "We ejected."

"Never do that again," Kelly shouted, punching Hunter in the chest as he held her around the waist. "I thought you were dead."

"Sorry, babe," Hunter smirked. He looked around, "So, where's Cam?"

"I don't know," Shane shrugged.

"Sensei? Leanne?"

"Lothor got here before we did," Dustin sighed.

"We're too late?" Blake breathed, lowering his head.

"Better late than never, I always say."

The six turned as a figure walked out from the backroom. Sensei stood, smiling at his Rangers in his regular, human form. Tori, Shane and Dustin rushed over to him, swallowing him in a group hug. Sensei accepted the hug, happy he could hold another human being again, never mind three.

"It's good to see you," Hunter nodded, "Finally."

"It's good to finally meet you," Sensei smiled.

Kelly started at him. She had never met a sensei in human form before. She was just getting used to the talking guinea pig. She thought he was really cute, especially after the incident with the body switching. Now it was kinda weird. Sensei noticed her stares.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kelly. Human face to human face."

"Yeah, totally," she nodded.

Dustin tapped his sensei on the shoulder, "Dude, you're like, totally normal."

"Lothor's energy blast reversed the transmutation," Sensei explained, "and allowed me to return to my human form."

"But where's Cam?" Tori frowned. It was great that she had her Sensei back, but she couldn't ignore her concern for Cam and Leanne.

"And my sister," Kelly added.

Sensei's face darkened, "They have been captured."

Hunter held onto his girlfriend a little tighter as he heard her whimper. She had just learned that her boyfriend was safe, but now she had to worry about her sister.

"We'll get them back," Tori assured her Sensei, but glanced over at Kelly, making a promise to her friend as well.

"It will not be easy, Tori," Sensei sighed. Dustin scratched his head.

"When has it ever been?" he pointed out.

"Lothor is preparing to open the Abyss of Evil," Sensei explained.

"Are you serious?" Blake asked, taking Tori's hand. His parents had told him about the Abyss when he was a child. They would talk about the evil warriors whose spirits were forever trapped in the Abyss. As Blake got older, he believed the Abyss was just folklore that the Ninja world invented to explain where the spirits of fallen evil ninjas disappeared to, mostly to scare young Ninjas in ghost stories, or comfort them in the middle of the night.

"It is no coincidence that Blue Bay Harbour is home to the Wind Ninja Academy," Sensei said. "We are the guardians to an invisible gateway, a gateway that, once opened, will allow all the evil of ages gone by to escape."

"Mom and dad left that part out," Hunter whispered to his brother. Kelly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why hasn't Lothor opened it before now?" Shane asked.

"The abyss can only be opened when it is filled to capacity," Sensei said. "Even then, it can only be opened by a mighty force."

"Cam's amulet," Kelly said, surprising everyone by coming up with that theory first. Sensei nodded.

"Exactly. I believe Lothor intends to use Cam's powers to open the Abyss."

"Then what does he want with my sister?" Kelly asked.

"She's Sensei Omino's daughter," Hunter said. "It's got to be tempting to try and kill her and end the Thunder Ninja legacy."

"At least in his eyes," Blake nodded. "Lothor doesn't really know that Sensei Omino took us in. He would think Leanne's the sole heir."

"Wait, the whole Sensei thing is passed down from generation to generation?" Kelly asked. "I thought it was pick and choose?"

"Only if the Sensei does not bear a child before his death," Sensei explained. "That is how I became Sensei here."

Kelly clenched her fists, "Would it be a crazy idea for me to go up on that ship and kick Lothor's ass?"

"Yes," Hunter frowned, holding her closer, "You're not going anywhere near Lothor or the aliens. "You're staying with Sensei."

"I'm not helpless," Kelly groaned.

"There are three people trapped up in the ship," Shane nodded, "Sensei Omino, Leanne and Cam. We should have three people going up as a precaution."

"And we're not leaving two Rangers on Earth," Dustin added.

Hunter looked from the Rangers to Kelly and sighed. Kelly was probably going to do anything she could to save her sister anyways; he figured it was probably best to just agree with this plan so he could watch her.

"Fine," he said, "But you're coming back to Earth with the first ninja we save, whether or not we're done," he told her.

"I'll do what I want," Kelly said. "No one messes with my family."


	50. To End All Evil

"Dude, are you sure you want to do this?" Dustin asked Kelly, standing before her at the entranceway. Kelly nodded her head slowly.

"About time I get to play hero," she chuckled. "I've been watching you guys do it enough."

"And she's have me there," Hunter said, wrapping his arm around Kelly's waist as he nodded at Dustin, "You don't have to worry about her."

Dustin smiled slightly, though he couldn't help but worry. It was technically his fault Kelly was in this position. He had been the one to tell her originally. Looking back, he was sure the secret would have been blown anyways, especially with Leanne revealing herself as Kelly's sister, but that didn't change the way he felt.

"She better come back," Dustin said to Hunter. The older man nodded wordlessly.

Tori looked at Blake, "You better come back too," she told him. "You've got that deal with Factory Blue you want to honour."

"There's another blue motivating me to come home more," Blake smiled and blushed, realising he probably sounded kinda cheesy. Tori bit her lip and lowered her head slightly. Blake leaned forward, kissing her gently, "I'll be fine."

"Are you guys going to take the Ninjas with you to the Games?" Hunter asked. "You might need a little bit of backup in case Lothor decides to send his army to the abyss."

"Yeah, good point," Shane said, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't thought of that. They had hundreds of ninjas sitting around doing nothing; they might as well use them.

Hunter nodded before nudging his girlfriend and his brother, "You guys ready to go?" he asked. Both nodded and followed him.

-Storm-Chargers-

For Kelly, Lothor's ship was like a maze, but Blake and Hunter knew their way around rather well. The three stuck close to the walls, keeping their backs pressed against it to avoid any surprise attacks. Blake led the way while Hunter trailed behind. He wanted to keep an eye on both Kelly and Blake and make sure nothing happened to them.

Suddenly, Blake froze up, pressing himself into the wall. He held his arm up, pushing Kelly back. Choobo, Lothor's green general, rushed by.

"We don't have much time," he called to the line of Kalzacks following him, "before this place self-destructs. Let's get out of here!"

When the aliens were out of earshot Hunter grabbed Kelly. Now that he knew the ship was going to blow up, he couldn't have her stay. Kelly anticipated what he was going to say and shook her head.

"My sister's still here," she said. "You'd do the same for Blake."

Blake turned to Hunter, "She's right. At least, I hope she is."

Hunter groaned, letting go of Kelly's arm as the three of them turned the corner, a little less carefully. If the ship was going to explode, chances were everyone was getting off. They didn't need to worry so much about being caught.

They ran to the main room and saw their three ninjas, all tied onto different poles, along with Marah and Kapri. Hunter, Blake and Kelly rushed over, untying their friends.

Leanne was wide-eyed when Kelly came to untie her. As soon as her hands were free she shoved her sister.

"What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass," Kelly said. "You really didn't think I would leave my sister to blow up in enemy territory."

"Can we fight later, guys?" Blake asked, supporting Sensei Omino. "We need to get off this ship before it explodes."

"Hey, guys!" Marah and Kapri both called before the Rangers took off. The six turned back to them.

"What?" Hunter snapped.

"You can't just leave us here," Marah said, almost on the verge of tears. Hunter scoffed.

"Why shouldn't we?"

Marah and Kapri panicked as Hunter started to take off, but Cam grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"They're family," he sighed. His voice sounded like he didn't want to help his cousins, but he knew he had no choice. He rushed over, untying their hands.

While Kapri thanked Hunter for letting her free, Marah rushed over to Cam.

"Hey, cousin, you know the Yellow Ranger, right? I was just wondering, is he still mad at me because I think he's really cute and…"

Kelly pulled on Marah's hair as Cam yelled desperately.

"Can we talk about this later?" he asked. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and the ship jerked, sending the eight of them to the ground.

"Of course, because this can't be easy," Blake groaned as he picked himself off the ground. Hunter got to his feet and held out a hand for Kelly. Cam pulled his cousins off the floor while Leanne helped her father stand. Just as Sensei Omino got to his feet, Leanne felt something pressing against her throat. Everyone else stopped. Cam, Hunter and Blake fell into defensive stances while Leanne growled loudly.

"Big, fat and ugly's right behind me, isn't he?" she asked.

"Going somewhere?" Choobo taunted his voice dark and menacing. "I had specific orders from Lothor to keep all of you on this ship."

"Let her go," Sensei Omino said. Choobo just laughed, while the Kalzacks mimicked him. They knew Sensei Omino was weak.

Hunter stood beside his brother.

"Once more for old time's sake?" he asked. Blake nodded.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" they both called out and the Kalzacks rushed them the moment they were morphed. Cam went for Choobo, pulling his staff away from Leanne's neck. Leanne ducked down and swiped her feet on the ground, tripping Choobo, giving herself and Cam a small advantage.

Hunter tossed one Kalzack into another and looked over his shoulder at Kelly and Sensei Omino, "You guys go!"

"Wait!" Kapri called before rushing off. Hunter watched for a minute then turned back to his foster father and his girlfriend, "Kelly, go!"

There was another explosion, rocking the ship again, throwing everyone off balance. Kelly grabbed onto Leanne's father, keeping him up. It was obvious he could barely stand on his own two feet after having endured time on Lothor's ship alone.

Hunter looked over his shoulder again and saw Kelly was still in the same spot. He stuck another Kelzack before rushing over to her. He grabbed her arm and turned her towards the exit.

"GO!" he shouted, shoving her forcefully.

"Wait!" Marah shouted as Kapri came running back with a small device in one hand and Cam's amulet in the other.

"Everyone gather around!" Kapri called. Cam, Blake and Leanne didn't need to be told twice as they rushed back. Kapri handed the two objects to her cousin. Cam nodded, putting the amulet around his neck.

"Hold on, guys," he told everyone. The Kalzacks and Choobo surrounded them all, holding up their weapons. Just as they were about to bring them down, Cam hit the center button on the device. "Teleporting now!"

-Storm-Chargers-

"Holy shit," Kelly breathed as she landed on top of the skate ramp at the Action Games and looked down at the hundreds of monsters surrounding the three friends and the ninjas she had left on Earth. Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to Sensei Omino, "That's a lot of aliens."

Sensei Omino nodded wordlessly before collapsing, bringing Kelly down with him. Leanne clenched her fists as she saw this and glared at Lothor, who was too busy enjoying his fight with the Wind Rangers to notice her.

Hunter and Blake looked at Cam who morphed instantly. The three of them nodded and jumped down, taking Lothor and his army by surprise."

"You guys made it!" Leanne heard Shane say when he saw his friends. They sounded fine, for now at least.

"Leanne," Kelly called weakly, and the younger red head turned to his sister. Kelly looked up at her, worried. "I don't think he's okay."

"He's not," Leanne growled, dropping beside her father.

A green light shone, blinding everyone as cries of agony could be heard from the battlefield. Lothor's evil chuckles were heard faintly as well. When the light faded, Leanne and Kelly turned to see what had happened.

Over on the ground, Hunter and Blake laid, almost completely defeated and demorphed. They were breathing heavily. Hunter cast a glance up at the skate ramp; very thankful Lothor had yet to look up.

Beside Lothor, Cam withered in pain. Somehow, Lothor had stolen the amulet from him, as it was currently sitting in the evil ninja's hands.

Lothor kicked him aside as the three Winds rushed over, still morphed, but their slumped forward posture showed everyone they were running out of energy.

Lothor looked at the three Winds before holding up the amulet. A green light shone again, this time focusing all its energy on the three Wind Rangers. They were all thrown back as the amulet sucked their powers from them.

Kelly turned to her sister, "You have to get the amulet," she whispered. Leanne looked at Kelly and nodded.

"Yeah, but how?"

Another light shone, followed closely by a loud boom before the entire ground began to shake. The Rangers were all knocked off their feet by the explosion and Leanne had slipped off the skate ramp. She skidded down to the bottom painfully.

From the corner of his eye, Lothor spotted the Thunder Ninja on the skate ramp. As he went to take a step forward, the Rangers all stop up. He growled as they rushed for him, taking him on one by one. He took them all with ease, throwing them down so they were crying in pain, as he started walking towards the ramp.

Chuckling, he stepped up, "We meet again, Thunder Ninja."

Sensei Omino sat up, hearing Lothor's voice. He looked down and saw his daughter was alone against the evil space Ninja.

He tried to get to his feet but Kelly held him down. That didn't stop him from trying to pull Lothor's attention away from his daughter.

"It's me you want," he shouted to Lothor. The evil ninja's head snapped up as a sick smirk appeared on his lips. Sensei squirmed in Kelly's hold, "Leave my daughter alone."

"How else will I end the pesky Thunder Ninja legacy?" Lothor said.

Kelly looked over as Lothor turned back to her sister. She needed to help. The Rangers were struggling to get up, but by the time they reached Leanne, Lothor will have already attacked.

She noticed a piece of wood that had been flung up to the top of the ramp, most likely during one of the explosions. It wasn't a skateboard, but it would have to do. She hopped over Sensei and jumped on, skating down the ramp and bowling Lothor over. He hadn't seen an attack from her coming, thinking she was just the weak and pathetic ally. As he toppled over, the samurai amulet fell out of his hands.

Kelly crawled away from him and snatched it before taking off. Lothor jumped to his feet but Leanne was slightly faster. She planted a powerful punch right in the side of his face, sending him back to the ground as the Rangers arrived.

Enraged, Lothor grabbed them as they came and threw them as far as he could; making sure they all hit something hard in the fall. Hunter landed on the path Kelly had taken to run off. He couldn't find the energy to move, but he pushed himself off the ground so he was on his knees. If Lothor tried to go after her, he would catch his second wind, no doubt.

Blake was thrown high in the sky and he landed on top of the skate ramp, beside Sensei Omino. He was hurt just as much as his brother, but he slithered his way over to his foster father, on his arms and knees, and stared down at the battlefield, waiting for Lothor to try something sneaky.

Cam and Leanne had been thrown in the other direction and they hit the ramp and slid down, nursing their own wounds.

Shane, Dustin and Tori were the only three still standing after having been knocked down; their persistence earning them a few points for bravery. Lothor chuckled as he stepped back.

"I took your Ranger Powers," he said. "You are at my mercy once and for all!"

"We won't let you win!" Shane barked.

"What can you do to me without your powers?"

Shane exchanged glances with his two team-mates. Each of them nodded, ready to follow his lead. He turned back to Lothor, adopting a defensive pose.

"We may not be Power Rangers," he said, "but we still have powers. Power of Air!"

"Power of Earth!"

"Power of Water!"

The wind began to pick up and Lothor looked around, shocked.

"Ninja Powers!" the three Rangers called out, holding their hands out together, aiming their elemental energy at Lothor. Power of Air, Earth and Water came together into one powerful beam, striking Lothor right in the chest.

Hunter, Blake, Cam, Leanne and Sensei Omino watched on in complete shock at their friend's power while Lothor's jaw dropped. He screamed loudly as the beam of energy hit him, forcing him to stumble backwards.

Kelly rushed back to the battlefield with the Samurai amulet in hand. She clutched onto it tightly as she watched Lothor falling backwards. Tori, Shane, and Dustin slowly began to lose their footing as the energy started taking its toll on them. Lothor screamed again as he tried to steady himself, hoping to outlast the three ninjas he had been fighting to destroy.

Suddenly, something smacked him just under his throat. It hit him with just enough force to knock him into the railing, causing him to trip over it and slip into the abyss. Just before he fell, he grabbed onto the ground with one hand.

Shane, Dustin and Tori fell to their knees, completely drained of power as Lothor tried to pull himself up. Blake, Cam and Hunter ran over to them, ready to protect them in Lothor did pull himself up. They were exhausted and breathing heavily. This fight couldn't continue for much longer.

The ground Lothor was clinging onto let go unexpectedly, and his cries were heard for one final time as he fell. The Abyss overloaded with power as all the other monsters were sucked into it as well.

The ground shook for a moment as the abyss closed in on itself and imploded. The Rangers watched and waited in awe for something to happen. They heard the grass rustling behind them as Kelly and Leanne approached.

Tori was first to speak, "What happened?"

"Lothor's evil must have overloaded the Abyss," Blake said.

"Causing it to implode on itself," Cam added, backing up Blake's theory. It was the only logical explanation after all.

"So he's gone?" Dustin asked, turning to the abyss with a huge smile on his face, "He's really gone?"

"I believe so," Cam nodded.

Hunter looked down at his morpher, "And our powers?"

All eyes turned to Kelly. Lothor had used the Samurai Amulet to steal their powers, and she had taken off with it. Kelly shrugged sadly, holding her empty hands out.

"He wasn't going to fall unless I hit him," she explained sadly. "Sorry."

"Well, it worked," Cam sighed, a little disappointed he lost his mother's amulet, but if the consequences of losing the amulet meant Lothor was no longer trying to destroy the world, he figured it was for the best."

Two ninjas approached the Rangers with Sensei Omino walking over to them slowly. Leanne turned to her father and smiled. He held his arms out and Leanne jumped, accepting the hug. As Sensei Omino held his daughter with one arm, he reached out to Blake and Hunter. He wanted to hug the boys as well, but for now, all he could do was shake their hands. Hunter and Blake didn't think any less of it. They were just happy he was home safe.

Leanne pulled out of her father's arms and grabbed Kelly, pulling her over.

"Father, this is Kelly," she smiled, happy she was finally getting the chance to introduce her father to her sister. "She's my half-sister."

Sensei Omino was completely unaware that his lover, Leanne's mother, had another family, but the smile on Leanne's face told him that he needed to save the questions for a better time. He looked at Kelly and bowed.

Kelly bowed as well, a little awkwardly. She felt weird in the presence of Leanne's father. Thankfully, the moment stopped when Dustin rushed down the hill, where the abyss had once been opened, and started jumping and cheering.

"Dudes! He's gone! We won!" he shouted happily to his friends. Shane laughed before running down, joining his best friend. Playfully, he ruffled Dustin's hair. With a happy cry, he shouted to the skies.

Tori rolled her eyes at her friends and laughed at their display of excitement, but couldn't hide the fact that she was just as excited. Dustin and Shane waved to her.

"Dude, get down here!" Dustin called.

Shane danced slightly, "You know you want to dance on his grave."

Tori smiled and jumped over the railing, running down to be with her friends. Blake didn't need any pushing as he followed her down. Celebrating sounded like a great idea to him.

Hunter looked at Kelly, Leanne and Sensei Omino, then down at the site of the abyss. He sighed loudly, patting Sensei Omino on the shoulder.

"I'm going," he said.

Kelly laughed, thinking he would go down without her. He had earned a chance to celebrate.

"Have fun," she told him. Hunter looked at her.

"Oh, no," he said before grabbing her and lifting her on his shoulder, "You're coming to dance with me."

"Hunter!" Kelly screamed as he carried her down. When he set her on the ground, she punched him in the chest. "Warn me when you do that, Bradley."

Hunter wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. Kelly hugged him.

"Congratulations," she whispered in his ear.

That wasn't enough for Hunter as he pulled her in for a kiss.

Leanne saw this from the top of the hill and gagged, "GROSS!"


	51. The Story Concludes

Kelly watched with a sense of pride as her "brothers and sister" stood before a large podium in their ninja garb. She couldn't believe a few months ago she had no idea they were ninjas, let alone Power Rangers, and now she was standing amongst a sea of ninjas watching them receive a badge of honour and their diplomas, signifying they were graduating from their respective schools.

The fight against Lothor had been long and it had been hard. Kelly had seen the toll it took on everyone. Every day they had been worn down and covered in bumps, bruises, scars, tears. When she thought about it, it was amazing they were able to stand, let alone fight every day and win battles.

However, being a Ranger had given them all a sense of responsibility, something Kelly believed that a few months ago, they all needed. Shane always had the potential to be a leader. He was always looking out for his friends and giving them advice when they needed it. The opportunity to be a Ranger allowed him to develop those skills, and now, not only was sponsored by one of the biggest skateboarding companies in the country, but he was also going to be a Sensei here at the Academy and he had been given the chance to be just one notch above Tori and Dustin, who were also going to become Senseis. Kelly and Sensei had discussed this, and they both believed that it would help Shane develop his skills further, as well as give Tori and Dustin a shoulder to lean on if ever they felt run down. Sensei knew just how hard it was to train hundreds of ninjas every day.

Being a Ranger helped Dustin in many ways. He was still a goofball, and sometimes and airhead, but he had learned some valuable life lessons about trust. It wasn't just thanks to Marah, but it was thanks to his teams. Every day he had to go out on the battle field and trust that his friends were going to have his back, no matter what. He had learned the different between being able to trust someone, and needing to trust someone. Kelly could also see he had grown so much as a person, without changing who he was. Although, he was still her little brother and nothing could change that.

Tori had flourished during her time as a Ranger. She started off as "one of the boys", or a "dude" as Dustin would always call her (though he did call everyone dude). But being in a team of all guys helped her establish her femininity. She was still part of the group, and every so often she would be "one of the boys", but she would always be able to find her girly side in a moment and come back to reality. It did help that she lived with Kelly and Leanne for a few months, turning a body guard job into a prolonged slumber party, but Kelly knew what was really the key factor in Tori growing up.

Blake and Hunter's time as a Ranger had served them well. Kelly knew they were loners before they met Dustin, and if they continued doing what they were doing, they would forever be the two orphan boys jumping from city to city. Being a Ranger made them part of a family and gave them a reason to stay and settle down. Both had found a family and a best friend, and both had found love.

Finally, though Kelly hadn't been a ninja herself, her friend's adventure had a huge impact on her. She had overcome obstacles she never thought she could face again, such as Drew, and in a way she had become a mentor to them; well, mainly an older sister. She knew she could run her shop on her own, though help was really nice to have, and she knew she could stay cool and think clearly in stressful situations. Had it not been for the latter, the Rangers may not have defeated Lothor in the final battle.

So, Kelly was entitled to feel a sense of pride and joy as Sensei called the Rangers names. She cheered and clapped for every one of them as they celebrated up front. She looked to the side and saw Leanne and Sensei Omino doing the same.

-Storm-Chargers-

"So, when do you leave?" Tori asked when she and Blake finally found a spot along. They walked slowly, enjoying each other's company. After a long discussion, Blake decided he was going to leave Blue Bay Harbour and tour with Factory Blue, but he promised to sent letters to Tori every day, even just to tell her he missed her, and they were already making plans for the first time Tori would come up and visit him. In a few months time he was going to be in Reefside, which was only about an hour's drive from Blue Bay. Tori could easily come by and visit him for the day if her schedule was busy, or if it was wide open, she could stay a couple of days. Being in a long distance relationship was going to be hard for the new couple, but they were determined to try and make it.

"I start testing next week and my first race is in a month," Blake smiled, and Tori smiled back for him. She truly was happy for him. No matter what choice he had made, she was happy for him.

"You must be really psyched."

"Yeah," Blake nodded before stopping. He grabbed Tori's hand, stopping her in her tracks. Just as they leaned into kiss, Hunter jumped in, patting them both on the shoulder.

"I can't believe this!" he gasped. Blake and Tori pulled away slowly.

"Neither can I…" Blake muttered under his breath. Tori caught it and laughed softly.

"Sensei Omino just asked me to be the head teacher at the Thunder Ninja Academy!" Hunter continued.

"That's great!" Tori smiled as Blake high-fived his brother.

"That's awesome, bro. But why aren't you Sensei?"

Hunter couldn't help but smile at his brother's question. He and Blake had been thinking about this moment, when Sensei Omino would retire at the school and hand his position over. After putting up with Lothor for a few months, he was no longer able to teach. He was really worn down, and if he wanted to continue life, he would have to lead a normal one. With Leanne hopefully going back to Nepal, both boys assumed one of them would be Sensei, at least until she returned, if not permanently. The Ninja Academies had never seen a woman Sensei, and probably weren't ready for it.

"Leanne's staying," Hunter said. A few months ago he would have thought it was stupid for her to pass up an opportunity like Nepal. Some Ninjas would pay millions to get the chance to go. However, after everything that happened, and given how much she loved her newfound family, Hunter understood why she wouldn't want to leave that. A father and sister were much more important than advance Ninja training, especially considering she could probably already kick the Rangers' asses.

Blake nudged Tori, "Hey, Tor. Tell Hunter your great idea."

"My what?" Tori frowned. Blake rolled his eyes and chuckled. It was going to click for her soon. "Oh! I'm working on opening a surf shop."

"That's great!" Hunter smiled.

"Yeah. There's a small shop right next to Storm Charger's that closed down and I've saved up enough to be able to buy it."

"You always were complaining about the surf equipment Kelly sold," Hunter laughed. "Is she fine with it?"

"That's why she hired me in the first place," Tori nodded. "If all goes well, I should be ready to open in a few months."

"Sweet," Hunter grinned. "Maybe in our spare time you can teach me to surf."

"Hey, bro, she's my girlfriend, remember?" Blake laughed, pushing his brother away. "Go gawk at your own in a bathing suit."

"Good point," Hunter nodded. "Where is she?"

"Guys!" Kelly called as she ran over, followed by Shane, Dustin, Leanne and Cam. In her hands she had the small radio Cam had let her borrow while the Rangers were off fighting monsters. "You've got to heard this," she turned it on and held it up as everyone listened.

"… _Dino Rangers have once again saved the day from the monsters threatening Reefside City…"_

"Dino Rangers?" Hunter frowned.

"Dude, I have a race in Reefside! Please tell me it's not going to be cancelled because of monster freaks!"

"That's what you're worried about?" Tori asked her boyfriend. Blake looked at her and shrugged.

Shane smiled, "Guys, I don't think we have to worry about them," he said. "They seem to have it all under control."

"And we don't have our Ranger powers anymore, dudes," Dustin pointed out. "Which is good, dudes, because I'm wiped."

"Don't you have a class to teach in half an hour?" Kelly asked, raising her eyebrow. Dustin groaned loudly as Tori chuckled. Shane led his two Senseis away.

"She's right, guys. We need to get ready."

"I've got to go to greet the new ninjas," Cam said. Before he left, he leaned over, kissing Leanne as they parted. All eyes widened and Cam soon realised his mistake. They hadn't told anyone yet.

"I knew it!" Hunter called, pointing his finger at the Green Ranger and his sister. "I knew it! I totally called that one."

Cam turned red as he bashfully walked away, leaving Leanne to explain. She looked at her friends, particularly her brothers and sister.

"What? Is it really that surprising that the Senseis' kids fall in love at the end?"

"This is not a fairy tale, Leanne," Kelly chuckled before hugging her sister. "I'm happy for you."

"Same here," Tori nodded. Shane tapped on his wrist.

"Guys, we're going to be late," he said. "And you remember what happened last time we were late, right?"

"I'm coming!" Tori groaned as she followed her friends.

"I'm happy I'm not a ninja," Kelly stated as she watched them leave. Blake nodded.

"Best decision I ever made," he said before pointing to the entrance. He tapped Hunter on the shoulder, "Recognise them?"

"No way!" Hunter gasped as his jaw dropped.

"Is that…" Kelly trailed off as she watched Marah and Kapri spinning in their new uniforms. She looked at her friends. "That's my cue to leave… before Marah starts asking me about Dustin again."

"Wait, I don't think she'll be bugging you," Hunter smirked as he held Kelly back for a moment. He pointed over to Cam, who was handing Marah a blue scroll, and Kapri a red one.

Leanne chuckled, "Poor Tori…"

"Poor guys," Blake laughed.

Hunter nodded before looking back. Suddenly he spotted three students who shared an uncanny resemblance to Shane, Dustin and Tori. It was the same three kids who thought they could help him and Cam earlier at the Games, when Cam and Hunter fought against the first group of Kalzacks to appear. Everyone else froze up when they too spotted the trio and not a word was spoken as the kids walked by them, chatting on like best friends would. When they were gone, Kelly pulled herself away from Hunter.

"I'm off," she said. "The Ninja world is too crazy for me. I'm going to go back to my super-busy store and deal with non-ninja dimwits."

"Hey, wait for me," Leanne called, taking off after her sister.

-Storm-Chargers-

When Kelly pulled up into the Storm Chargers parking lot she was surprise to see people coming in and out of the store, carrying bags of supplies and equipment. Her heart raced as she looked over at Leanne, who shared the same concern she did. They both jumped out of the car and bolted inside.

Surprisingly enough, Storm Chargers was working like it normally was when the store was open, but Kelly hadn't left anyone in charge. All her employees had the day off because of their graduation, and she and Leanne couldn't there because they wanted to attend. Kelly turned to the front counter; demanding to know who on earth would have the balls to open up her store and start selling items.

Her eyes widened, "Dad?"

Her father smiled as he handed a customer a bag before rounding the front counter and walking over to his only daughter.

"Kel-Bel!" he said as he greeted her with a hug. Kelly hugged him back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came here to visit you," her father said. "It's been ages since I heard from you."

"Why did you open up the store?"

"How else are you going to make a profit?" her father chuckled. "Where have you been? You're normally open on Wednesdays? I wanted to surprise you."

"Oh, she's surprised," Leanne smirked, nudging her sister, reminding Kelly of her presence. Now would be a good time to introduce her to her father.

Kelly shook her head, "Uh, yeah, dad, this is Leanne. She's one of the new managers I hired."

Leanne smiled, shaking her sister's father's hand. She was fine with the lie Kelly told her father. They had discussed it time and time again. Leanne was bound to run into Kelly's father at some point, but Kelly didn't want to break her father's heart by revealing her mother's lie. She knew her parents loved each other deeply. After her mother's death, her father had never quite been the same.

Mr. Holloway looked at Leanne as he shook her hand and smiled. He couldn't help but notice just how much this young woman resembled his late wife. With a smirk he turned to Kelly.

"She's more than that, isn't she?"

Leanne and Kelly exchanged fearful looks.

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked.

"She's not just a manager, is she?"

Kelly gulped. Leanne decided to jump in. This wasn't the first time she had to lie about her identity. She was a ninja, after all.

"Well, technically, I co-own this store. Kelly hired me a few months back and we shared some really good ideas. She was a little overwhelmed with the store hours and trying to work all on her own so she promoted me. I keep my title as store manager though because this is a family business."

Kelly nodded, a little impressed at her sister's lying skills. Mr. Holloway, however, wasn't. He shook his head.

"I know about your mother," he stated, without looking at Kelly or Leanne. After all, they had the same mother, it didn't matter who he looked at.

"What?" Kelly frowned. Her father sighed.

"You don't think I realised there was something suspicious going on when your mother took off for nine months?" he asked.

"You told me she went on sport's thing or something."

"Because that's what she told me when she left. But c'mon, she's trying to fool this sports fan. There are two things I know well in this world. The first is sports, and the second was your mother. She really didn't fool me when she came home after nine months looking like she did after you were born."

"So, wait, you knew?" Leanne asked.

"I've always known that at one point I wasn't the only man in her life," Mr. Holloway sighed sadly. "But she came clean to me a few years later and after a rough patch, which I would say we successfully hid from you, Kelly, we realised that the path of true love isn't a straight line, and the important thing was that we stayed together in the end. I've forgiven her and I welcome her second family with open arms."

Leanne smirked as she nudged Kelly, "You see that. It took you months to reach that point. It took your father two minutes."

"Shut up," Kelly frowned.

Mr. Holloway looked at the two girls with a grin on his face, "So, what have you been up to with the store, lately? I hope you still have that motocross boy working for you."

"Uh, yeah, he's working for me… but he's cutting down his hours. He got another job."

"Really?" Mr. Holloway asked. "Well, you better make sure that boy stays loyal."

"He's loyal, dad, trust me," Kelly smirked.

Mr. Holloway smiled, "Good. So anything interesting to report? I heard Blue Bay Harbour was home to the Power Rangers."

"Yeah it was," Leanne chuckled before Kelly nudged her.

Mr. Holloway grinned, "I read in the newspaper a while back that the yellow one was right here in this store! I was going to call and ask you about it but things got really busy back home. Did you get to meet a Ranger?"

"Uh…" Kelly trailed off as she thought for a moment. She turned to Leanne, who seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. Kelly looked back at her father, "Dad, let's just say things have been very interesting here over the last few months."

"And trust me, it's an exciting story," Leanne nodded.


End file.
